China has said that it will continue to strengthen cooperation with other countries to fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu also says China will provide assistance to other countries combating the virus in the same way it has received support.
He also confirms that over 1,300 Chinese nationals have been repatriated since the outbreak.
The Chinese mainland reported 139 new infections on Wednesday, including 134 in Hubei.
Cities and counties at the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak in Hubei Province have been classified based on the risk posed by the epidemic.
22 of them are classified as low-risk since no newly confirmed cases have been reported in the past 14 days.
17 cities and counties are classified as mid-risk because they are regions either with fewer than 50 cases reported overall, or more than 50 but without an outbreak cluster.
37 are classified as high-risk since they are regions with over 50 cases as well as an outbreak cluster.
Iran has announced a national plan to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The plan will be initially implemented in the regions with high contamination with the virus.
Based on the plan, family members suspicious of symptoms will be invited to medical centers. If being diagnosed positive, they will receive instructions and medication while quarantined at home.
In case the patient was not recovered, they will be hospitalized for further treatments.
Iran announced the first infection on Feb 19.
So far, the outbreak has killed 107 people in the country.
The leaders of North and South Korea have exchanged letters over the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
In his letter, Kim Jong Un conveyed his message of comfort to the South Korean people.
He said he believed that the South would prevail over the outbreak without fail.
He also mentioned the situation of the Korean Peninsula.
Moon Jae-in conveyed his gratitude in response.
It was the first time this year that the leaders of the two Koreas exchanged letters.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved an 8.3 billion-dollar bill to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Under the bill, over 3 billion dollars will be devoted to research and development of vaccines, test kits and therapeutics.
With the White House backing the effort, congressional leaders are working to win quick passage so that President Donald Trump could potentially sign it into law this week.
So far, the virus has infected around 160 people in the United States.
The Italian government has announced all schools will be closed from Thursday until March 15 as a further measure to contain the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
28 deaths due to the coronavirus were reported in Italy on Wednesday. The country's total stands at 107. More than 3,000 confirmed cases have been recorded.
Former UN chief Javier Perez de Cuellar died on Wednesday in the Peruvian capital Lima. He was 100 years old.
Perez De Cuellar served as UN secretary-general from 1982 to 1991, leading the world body during the Iran-Iraq war.
21 people were injured after a high-speed train derailed on a trip between Strasbourg and Paris on Thursday.
The train's driver is in serious condition.
An investigation is underway to determine whether the accident was caused by weakened soil under the rails.