Coronavirus infections grow slower in China, spike in South Korea

Workers wearing protective gears spraying disinfectant as a precaution against the coronavirus at a bus garage in Gwangju, South Korea, on Tuesday (March 3). China's coronavirus caseload continued to wane on Tuesday even as the epidemic took a firmer hold beyond Asia. - AP

BEIJING: China has reported a slowdown in Covid-19 (coronavirus) infections over the past day, while new cases in South Korea jumped higher again to over 5,000, health authorities said on Tuesday (March 3).

China's National Health Commission counted 125 new coronavirus cases in the past day - the lowest number since Jan 20. Meanwhile, there were 31 new deaths from the disease, bringing up the country's death toll to 2,943 with 80,151 infections.