Xi Says China Fighting ‘Demon' Virus As Death Toll Rises To 106

First human-to-human infections reported outside China

President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday China was in a struggle against a “demon” epidemic, as the death toll from the new SARS-like virus soared to 106 and the first cases of human-to-human contagion were detected abroad.

Mr. Xi made his remarks during talks with head of the World Health Organisation in Beijing as a host of nations prepared to airlift their citizens from Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

“Chinese people are currently engaged in a serious struggle against an epidemic of a new type of coronavirus infection,” Mr. Xi told WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.