Coronavirus updates: The latest news on the outbreak and the global response

• Chinese officials say 213 people have died in the outbreak so far, with almost 10,000 people infected.• The United Kingdom confirms the first two cases of coronavirus in the country.• Thailand has joined France, U.S. in reporting person-to-person transmission of the virus.• State Department advises against all travel to China and advises all Americans in the country to leave.• The World Health Organization declares the outbreak a global health emergency.Nations fly citizens out of virus-hit ChinaCountries across the world have stepped up efforts to evacuate citizens from China, as the spread of the virus shows no signs of slowing.More than 369 South Koreans arrived in Seoul Thursday and a second plane is scheduled to depart Friday. So far Korea has confirmed 11 cases of coronavirus in the country.The U.K. said it was airlifting 83 Britons and 27 foreign nationals back to Britain on Friday.Bangladesh was preparing to send more than 340 of its citizens home on Friday,according to Bangladeshi newspaper New Age.Singapore said on Friday it was suspending entry to travelers with a recent history of travel to China and suspending visas for Chinese passport holders, to stop the spread of the coronavirus, Reuters reported.On Thursday 195 Americanswere airlifted to California from China. — Patrick Smith, Stella Kim

U.K. confirms first infectionsProfessor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, said in a statementthat the two patients were part of the same family and were receiving medical care."We have been preparing for U.K. cases of novel coronavirus and we have robust infection control measures in place to respond immediately," he said.Italy also confirmed its first two cases of the virus late on Thursday night. — _Patrick Smith_Thailand confirms human-to-human transmissionThe first person-to-person transmission of the virus has been confirmed in Thailand, after the total number of cases there rose to 19, Reuters reported.Tanarak Pipat, deputy director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the "overall risk of infection in Thailand is still low, but people should take precautions to protect themselves." — _Patrick Smith_Infections in China reach almost 10,000The number of coronavirus cases in China has risen to 9,809, according to China's envoy to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria.The number of those killed remains unchanged at 213, the number announced Thursday, he said."Altogether there are 9,809 confirmed cases. Among them, there are 1,527 cases of critical conditions, [plus] 15,238 suspected cases," the ambassador, Wang Qun told member states and reporters via a translator.There are now six confirmed cases in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Preventionsaid Thursday that the sixth case involved person-to-person transmission of the virus, which is the first time that has been detected in the U.S.

U.S. State Department warns against traveling to ChinaThe U.S. State Department warned Americans not to travel to China amid a deadly coronavirus outbreak that has sickened thousands of people in the country.The State Department in its "do not travel" advisory issued Thursday also says that "those currently in China should consider departing using commercial means."It said non-essential U.S. government personnel should defer travel to China because of the outbreak. _— Phil Helsel_WHO declares global public health emergencyThe World Health Organization on Thursday declared a global public health emergencyover the coronavirus outbreak.The WHO's director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the declaration is not a "vote of no confidence" in China, which has been widely praised for its transparency and work to control the outbreak. — Erika Edwards