A fourth person in China has been killed by a highly contagious new virus that has spread rapidly across the country. The death of an 89-year-old man was announced by authorities on the same day that the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus more than tripled, to 218. The man lived in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak is believed to have begun. China’s National Health Commission confirmed Monday that the infection can be transmitted from human-to-human. Some cases have been identified abroad including two in Thailand, one in Japan, one in Taiwan, and another in South Korea, BBC News reports. There are concerns the spread of the virus could gather pace as millions of people across China prepare to travel home for the Lunar New Year holidays this week.
