Almost 1,900 people have now died from the killer coronavirus rapidly sweeping the world.
And more than 73,000 patients have been struck down with the deadly SARS-CoV-2 infection, including nearly 1,000 outside of China.
Ninety-nine per cent of cases have been in China, where tens of millions of residents are in lockdown to contain the escalating crisis.
The Diamond Princess cruise, docked off the coast of Japan, has the largest cluster of cases outside of China, with 542 passengers infected.
Most of the cases recorded overnight were in the deserted Hubei province, which is home to the coronavirus epicentre of Wuhan.
It comes as Britons on board the Diamond Princess have been told they have until 11am to tell the British government if they want to be evacuated.
The Foreign Office is 'working to organise' a flight back to the UK for 74 Brits on the ship, which is quarantined off the coast of Yokohama.
The department has faced pressure to fly home the Britons on the vessel after the US chartered two planes and repatriated 340 of its citizens.
Two of the passengers pleading to be evacuated, David Abel and his wife, Sally, have now tested positive for the infection and may not be allowed to return home.
It comes after Sir Richard Branson said Virgin Atlantic was 'in discussions' with the Government over whether he could help those stranded.
He responded via Twitter to an appeal from Mr and Mrs Abel, who are among those who have been trapped in their cabins for days.
Meanwhile, the Government has block-booked the Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel hotel as a potential quarantine zone for international visitors to the UK.
As of yesterday, 4,501 people in total have now been tested for the coronavirus in the UK, of which nine have come back positive.
In other global developments to the outbreak, the head of a Wuhan hospital has died of the disease, health officials in China have confirmed.
The statement helped to resolve a state of confusion last night, when local officials reported Dr Liu Zhiming's death before later denying it.
Dr Liu's death has also sparked a fresh wave of anger just two weeks after another medic, whistleblower doctor Li Wenliang, succumbed to the virus.
And Apple is warning investors it won't meet its second-quarter financial guidance because the viral outbreak in China has cut production of iPhones.
The California-based company said production is ramping up – but that it is slower than it had anticipated.
Apple says demand for iPhones is also down in China because many of Apple's 42 retail stores there are closed or operating with reduced hours.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
