AFP, BRUSSELSThe death toll from the COVID-19 epidemic yesterday surpassed 3,000, as more people died in China, Iran and the US, and Europe raised its state of alert. China yesterday reported 42 more deaths — all in Hubei Province, where the pathogen is believed to have originated in a market that sold wild animals in its capital, Wuhan. Iran yesterday reported 12 more deaths, raising the nation’s toll to 66, the second biggest after China. It also reported more than 500 new cases, raising its total number of infections to 1,501. South Korea, the biggest nest of infections outside China, yesterday reported nearly 500 new cases, raising its total past 4,000.

Source: Taipei Times March 02, 2020 15:56 UTC