The coronavirus disease spreading around the world has killed more than 810 people, exceeding the toll from the global outbreak of Sars that started in China almost two decades ago. Less than two months after surfacing in late December in Wuhan, China, cases of the coronavirus have topped 37,000. There have been no coronavirus cases in New Zealand to date, but two New Zealanders tested positive for coronavirus while on the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked in Japan. The coronavirus outbreak "could look more dramatic than it is." SARS HISTORYThe epidemic of Sars began in 2002 with a report of mysterious pneumonia in southern China's province of Guangdong.

Source: Stuff February 09, 2020 00:56 UTC