China reported 508 new cases on Tuesday in an outbreak of the coronavirus that has spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East and Europe.

Another 71 deaths were reported in mainland China, 68 of them in the city of Wuhan, where the epidemic has been concentrated.

The updates bring mainland China's totals to 77,658 cases and 2,663 deaths.

Also on Tuesday, South Korea reported 60 more cases of the new virus, bringing its total to 893. Cases there now outnumber Japan, where many cases were detected among passengers and crew on a cruise ship. On Tuesday, Japan reported that a fourth passenger from the Diamond Princess ship died. 

Meanwhile, Washington and Seoul are considering scaling back command post training due to heightened concerns about the coronavirus, which has reportedly infected at least 13 in the South Korean military.

More than 28,000 US soldiers are stationed in South Korea as a deterrent against potential threats from North Korea.

Source: Al Jazeera News

BDST: 1135 HRS, FEB 25, 2020
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