South Korea reports 483 new coronavirus cases, China reports 99
The infections were still primarily concentrated in the south-eastern city of Daegu, which has become the epicentre of South Korea's outbreak of the disease, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
There have been 44 deaths, mostly in elderly patients with underlying illnesses, the KCDC said.
South Korea has recorded the greatest number of infections outside the Chinese mainland.
China recorded 99 new cases of coronavirus and 28 new deaths due to the related Covid-19 respiratory disease, in the latest daily figures from the country's National Health Commission on Saturday.
Tens of thousands of people around the world have contracted the new strain of coronavirus, which began spreading in the industrial hub of Wuhan, in China's Hubei province, in December.
The new fatalities, all of which occurred in Hubei province, bring the total number of deaths in mainland China to 3,070.
Of the newly confirmed virus cases, 74 were in Hubei.
More than 80,000 people have been infected in mainland China, of which 55,000 have recovered, according to the official tally.
A 26-year-old woman has tested positive for Covid-19 in Hanoi after returning home from Europe, ending a three-week period with no cases in Vietnam, state media said on Saturday.
Streets in the area where the woman lives have been closed and disinfected, while local residents were asked to remain inside.
Authorities are currently trying to identify and contact the other 201 passengers on the woman's flight in order to place carry out health checks and ensure they are isolated.
This is the first recorded case of coronavirus in the Vietnamese capital. Its impact has been immediately felt. Panic buying began early on Saturday morning, with people eager to stock up on toilet paper, water and instant noodles.
Schools in the capital have been closed since the outbreak first reached Vietnam in late January. They were due to reopen, but in response to this new case will remain closed until at least March 15.
The Philippines’ health department on Saturday raised the alert after confirming localized transmission of the disease.
The Department of Health reported a sixth confirmed case of Covid-19. The patient is the wife of a man who contracted the disease without history of travel. A traveller who returned from Japan also tested positive.
Prior to the three Filipino patients, three confirmed infections in the Philippines involved Chinese visitors, including one who died from the disease.
Two resort islands in the Maldives have been locked down after two foreign nationals were feared to have contracted the new coronavirus, health officials said on Saturday.
The two tourists from Italy were staying on Kuredu island, off the capital Male, and were due to be shifted to a quarantine facility for treatment.
Thinadhoo island was also placed under lockdown after it became known that an Italian tourist who stayed there tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home.
A doctor working on the island has also exhibited symptoms of the virus and was transferred to a quarantine facility.
Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Friday decided to ban all passengers from Italy as well as those who travelled to Italy within the past 14 days.
Penang port turned away a cruise ship after it was previously denied port in Phuket in Thailand, Malaysian television reported, citing the Penang port authority. It is believed that there are Italians on board who left Italy during the last 14 days.
Close to 100,000 Covid-19 cases have been recorded globally, along with 3,380 deaths.
