China’s coronavirus death toll has reached 170 as more countries report infections.

Russia is closing its 2,600-mile border with China, joining Mongolia and North Korea in barring crossings to guard against the outbreak.

It had been de facto closed because of the Lunar New Year holiday, but Russian authorities said the closure would be extended until March 1.

Train traffic between the countries was halted except for one train connecting Moscow and Beijing, but air traffic between the two countries continued. Russia has not confirmed any cases of the virus.

Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan
Funeral workers disinfect themselves after handling a virus victim in Wuhan (Chinatopix via AP)

Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea confirmed their first cases of person-to-person spread of the virus. The man in the US is married to a 60-year-old Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the epicentre of the outbreak.

There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. The case in South Korea was a 56-year-old man who had contact with a patient who was diagnosed with the new virus earlier.

Human-to-human spread of the virus outside China has also occurred in Germany, Japan, Canada and Vietnam, and was a major reason the World Health Organisation (WHO) has convened its committee of experts to assess whether the outbreak warrants being declared a global emergency. The committee last week had advised the UN health agency it was too early to make that pronouncement.

Commuters in Taipei wear facemasks on their way to work
The coronavirus outbreak has led millions of people to wear face masks in various parts of the world, such as these commuters in Taipei (Chiang Ying-Ying/AP)

The new virus has now infected more people in China than fell ill there during the 2002-2003 outbreak of SARS, a cousin of the new virus.

The latest figures for mainland China show an increase of 38 deaths and 1,737 cases for a total of 7,736 confirmed cases. Of the new deaths, 37 were in Hubei province, of which Wuhan is the capital, and one was in the south-western province of Sichuan. Outside China, there are 82 infections in 18 countries, according to WHO.

A second Japanese flight carrying 210 evacuees landed in Tokyo. Reports said nine of those on board the flight showed signs of having a cough and a fever. Three of Japan’s confirmed cases were among a group of evacuees who had returned on a government-chartered flight the previous day.

Coronavirus
The city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, remains in lockdown mode (Handout/PA)

A flight was also en route to China to bring back 350 Europeans. The US said additional flights were planned for early next week after it evacuated 195 Americans from Wuhan on Wednesday. They are being tested and monitored at a Southern California military base.

South Korea, Britain, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and other countries were also trying to get their citizens out. Taiwan, the self-governing republic China considers its own territory, has also asked to be able to repatriate its passport holders from Wuhan, but it was awaiting approval from Beijing.

Israel’s El Al, Spain’s Iberia, Scandinavian Airlines, Egypt Air and Korean Air joined the growing list of airlines suspending or reducing service to China.