Most patients infected with the virus experience rather mild symptoms of the disease, and in general, the coronavirus is less likely to lead to death than SARS, officials inform.

MOSCOW, January 31. /TASS/. The World Health Organization (WHO) has ruled that the new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) spreads faster than severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) during its 2003 outbreak; however, the new disease has a lower death rate.

China, Russia and France have developed new methods of diagnosis for efficient detection of the virus. Specialists from several states are working on developing a vaccine against the coronavirus.

On Thursday, the WHO declared an international public health emergency over the outbreak of a new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China. This decision can help coordinate measures aimed to combat the outbreak of the disease.

According to the latest reports of the Chinese officials, over 9,800 Chinese citizens have been infected with coronavirus since late December, when first cases of the disease were documented. According to the WHO, back in 2003, 8,437 people were infected with SARS, which means that the new coronavirus epidemic spreads much faster.

According to recent data, the Wuhan virus claimed the lives of 213 people, which means that its death rate does not surpass 2.3%, while in 2002-2003, 813 people died after contracting SARS, which constitutes about 9.6% of the total number of those infected. This data points to the new coronavirus having a lower death rate than SARS.

China’s National Health Commission informed on Friday that the majority of patients infected with 2019-nCoV experience mild symptoms, while about 15.7% cases (1,527) can be considered severe.

According to official data, 180 people have been cured of the virus in China. Chinese medics hope that the number would increase in the coming days due to the construction of additional hospitals in Wuhan and the Hubei province, including its rural areas.