INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
More than 14,800 new cases of the coronavirus have been reported in China's Hubei province - the epicentre of the outbreak.Health officials
in the country have been using a new method to identify cases of COVID-19, the disease which is caused by the coronavirus.A total of 242
people died from the flu-like virus on Wednesday - the fastest rise since the pathogen was identified in December.'Coronavirus outbreak
could still go in any direction'There had been optimism that the number of infections was beginning to slow down
On Tuesday, China had reported its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases in two weeks.But the World Health Organisation had warned that the
apparent slowdown in the spread of the coronavirus epidemic should be treated with "extreme caution".A total of 48,206 cases of COVID-19 are
now being treated in Hubei province alone, most of them in the city of Wuhan.According to the region's health commission, 33,693 people are
still being treated in hospital - and 5,647 of them are said to be critically ill.More than 158,000 people who came into close contact with
COVID-19 patients are being tracked in Hubei, and 77,308 people are under medical observation.In other developments:The outbreak has now
sickened more than 60,000 people across China, and 1,310 have died in totalDozens of Britons rescued from Wuhan are going to be released
after two weeks of quarantine in MerseysideLondon has had its first confirmed case of COVID-19, taking the total number of patients in the
UK to nineThe World Health Organisation has warned "this outbreak could still go in any direction"Several events - including the Chinese
Grand Prix in Shanghai and the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona - have been cancelledA second patient has tested positive for COVID-19 in
San Diego, CaliforniaFresh uncertaintyIt is not immediately clear what the region's new method for diagnosing COVID-19 is, or why the number
of fatalities has risen so sharply over the past 24 hours.Global markets had surged to record highs when Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese medical
adviser who played a role in combating the SARS outbreak in 2003, predicted that COVID-19 cases will peak this month.The latest figures from
Hubei province will spark fears that an end to disruption in the world's second-largest economy is far from over.One health expert has
warned that countries around the world are only at "the beginning of the outbreak"
Hundreds of infections have been reported in more than 20 countries, but only two people have died from COVID-19 outside of China to
date.And Dr Mike Ryan, the head of the WHO's emergency programme, has cautioned that it is too early "to predict the beginning, the middle
or end of the epidemic".Image:Health officials have warned that a vaccine for the coronavirus may still be months awayVaccine could be
months awayTests have been taking place to see whether antiviral drugs used to treat HIV are effective against the coronavirus - however,
results are only expected in a few weeks.The WHO has held a two-day meeting aimed at speeding up the development of tests, drugs and
vaccines for the new virus, but experts have warned that treatments may be months away.Across China, more than 60 million people have been
affected by an unprecedented lockdown.Image:A cruise ship denied entry by five countries has arrived in CambodiaCruise ship docksA cruise
ship turned away by five countries over fears that someone on board has the coronavirus has docked in Cambodia after two weeks at sea.The MS
Westerdam arrived early on Thursday morning - and one passenger on board said "just seeing land was such a breathtaking moment".Passengers
on board the ship have been subjected to regular health checks throughout the troubled journey.Even though no one on board has fallen ill,
the ship was denied permission to dock by Japan, Taiwan, Guam, the Philippines and Thailand.On board another cruise ship, the Diamond
Princess, 44 more people have tested positive for COVID-19.The ship, which is docked at the Yokohama Port in Japan, has been quarantined
since 3 February.Japan's health ministry says 218 of the 3,500 people on board have tested positive for the virus.
