The number of deaths from the new coronavirus outbreak in China rose by more than 100 on Monday (February 10), taking the total death toll to 1,016, officials said.

Meanwhile, there are more than 42,000 cases confirmed nationwide, although the increase in numbers has shown an improvement by almost 20 per cent over the previous day.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said recently that there had been “concerning instances” of transmission from people who had not been to China. “The detection of a small number of cases may indicate more widespread transmission in other countries; in short, we may only be seeing the tip of the iceberg,” he said in Geneva.

China’s President Xi Jinping made a rare public appearance and visited the medical team treating a new coronavirus infected patient in Beijing on Monday (February 10). The president urged every sector to help in fighting the epidemic while confirming that China will hasten the development of an anti-coronavirus vaccine.

“Wuhan is the city of warriors. The people in Wuhan city and Hubei province are brave and have not surrendered to threats throughout their history. When our comrades join hand, we will win the battle against the new virus,” the president said during the visit.