Nearly 3,000 new cases of a deadly coronavirus gripping China have been confirmed in the country’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak, bringing the total disease toll to just short of 35,000, with over 700 fatalities.
Some 81 additional deaths were reported from Hubei on Friday in the deadliest day yet for the fast-moving contagion, which has swept all of China’s provinces and been observed in at least 25 other countries.
As Beijing takes firm quarantine measures across dozens of cities, encompassing tens of millions of citizens, US President Donald Trump praised his Chinese counterpart for “sharp” leadership amid the outbreak, stating the country “will be successful” in countering the virus.