The global death toll from the coronavirus has risen to over 800 fatalities, officially eclipsing the number of people who died from the SARS outbreak in 2003, CNN reports.
SARS, formally known as severe acute respiratory syndrome, also originated in China, infecting over 8,000 people and killing 774.
Both SARS and the coronavirus come from the same family of viruses that are commonly found in animals.
The current outbreak started in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has since spread across 28 countries and territories globally.
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The disease has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, and President Trump has restricted travel into the U.S. from China.
On Saturday, the first American death from the virus was confirmed in Wuhan and in the U.S., there have been 12 confirmed cases of the virus but no casualties.
Source: The Hill
