...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...in over a month in Wuhan, the city where the outbreak first started in December last year.
China's National Health Commission also reported the first double-digit increase in countrywide cases in nearly 10 days, saying 14 new infections had been confirmed.
Two of the cases were imported into the country from overseas, the commission said.
The virus first emerged in Wuhan, a major industrial and transport city in central China, in December.
It has since infected nearly four million people worldwide - claiming more than 270,000 lives - and crippled the global economy.
The total number infected in China is 82,901, with an official corpse count of 4,633.
o new deaths have been reported for nearly a month.
China's ruling Communist Party imposed a quarantine lockdown on tens of millions of people - first in Wuhan and then the rest of Hubei province - beginning January 23, making Wuhan the first place in the world subjected to draconian restrictions.
Authorities started lifting restrictions in late March.
China has faced criticism both at home and abroad for downplaying the virus and concealing information about the outbreak when it first emerged in Wuhan.