New China Virus Cases Drop For Third Day

Death toll reaches 1, 665, while more than 68,000 have been infected; Taiwan records first fatality

The number of new cases from China’s COVID-19 epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day on Sunday, as the World Health Organisation chief warned it was “impossible” to predict how the outbreak would develop.

The death toll jumped to 1,665 in mainland China on Sunday after 142 more people died from the virus. More than 68,000 people have now been infected — but the number of new cases continued to decline.

In hardest-hit Hubei, the number of new cases slowed for a third consecutive day and at 139, the number of deaths was level with Saturday’s toll. The number of new cases in other parts of the country has dropped for twelve straight days.