New China virus cases drop for third day as toll passes 1,600

Chinese military medics arrive at the Tianhe International Airport in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province. The number of new cases from China's coronavirus epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day on Sunday (Feb 16) as WHO officials arrived in Beijing during the weekend to help out the Chinese officials. - Xinhua/ANN

BEIJING: The number of new cases from China's coronavirus epidemic dropped for a third consecutive day on Sunday (Feb 16), as the World Health Organisation chief warned it was "impossible" to predict how the outbreak would develop.

Global concern remains high about the spread of the virus, which first emerged in China's central Hubei province in December, with the first death outside Asia reported in France this weekend.