The number of people known to have died from the new coronavirus in China jumped over 24 hours as U.S. officials prepared to evacuate Americans from the locked-down epicenter of the epidemic.
On Tuesday, the death toll stood at 106 — up from 80 a day earlier — according to officials at China’s National Health Commission.
The number of cases has also spiked to 4,515 — up from 2,744 on Monday — of which 976 are considered severe.
As Wuhan, a city of 11 million people where the outbreak is believed to have originated, remained on lockdown to contain the virus, the State Department said it was sending a chartered flight to evacuate U.S. government personnel stationed in the city.
A State Department official told NBC News that as space is available on the plane, seats will also be offered to some private U.S. citizens, with priority being given to those who are most at risk of contracting the virus if they remain in Wuhan.
The plane, bound for Ontario, California, is expected to leave Wuhan on Wednesday morning local time.
Officials in Alaska said the plane will also stop in Anchorage to refuel.
The Alaska Department of Health and Social Services said in a statement that everyone on board will be screened by Chinese and U.S. officials before leaving Wuhan, and no one with symptoms will be allowed to board. The passengers will also be rescreened once in Anchorage, the agency said.
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On Tuesday, South Korea and Japan also said they will be sending chartered flights to Wuhan to move their citizens out of the city. About 700 South Korean nationals are expected to be evacuated later this week. Japanese officials said they will send their first chartered plane to Wuhan on Tuesday night.
A number of other nations, including France, Australia and Spain, were also said to have been looking into moving their citizens out of Wuhan.
However, the World Health Organization said it did not advocate the evacuation of foreign citizens, China's state news agency Xinhua reported Tuesday.
WHO officials thanked the Chinese government for the “decisive measures” taken to stop the virus, adding that there was “no need to overreact,” according to Xinhua. The WHO said last week the virus was not yet a global health emergency.
Since the outbreak began, China has enforced strict transport restrictions and put more than a dozen cities, inhabited by millions of people, on lockdown.
President Donald Trump tweeted Monday that the United States is in very close communication with China concerning the virus.
“Very few cases reported in the U.S., but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi Jinping any help that is necessary,” he added.
The virus has now spread to four continents with new cases emerging outside China every day, including in the U.S., where five cases have been confirmed so far.
Thailand announced plans Tuesday to screen all arrivals from China for symptoms of the coronavirus and confirmed six more infections among such visitors, taking its tally to 14, Reuters reported.
Germany also became the second country in Europe to confirm a case of the coronavirus Monday.
