Coronavirus outbreak live updates: Passengers leave Japan ship after 14-day quarantine

Foreign pilots at Chinese airlines return home on unpaid leave as demand plummets

The pilots are considering other jobs after being placed on unpaid leave as demand falls because of the coronavirus, affected flight crew told Reuters.

South Korea coronavirus cases jump by half

South Korea reported 15 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday - increasing its total by nearly 50 percent - including a cluster of at least 11 centred on the southern city of Daegu.

A study released by Chinese officials said most patients have mild cases of the illness, and health officials have described the slowing numbers as an indication that the outbreak is under control.

In its daily update, the National Health Commission reported 1,749 new cases of people infected with the virus nationwide, the lowest number of new cases this month.

Toll crosses 2,000-mark

The death toll from China's new coronavirus epidemic jumped past 2,000 on Wednesday after 136 more people died, with the number of new cases falling for a second straight day, according to the National Health Commission.

Passengers begin leaving after ship's virus quarantine ends

Hundreds of passengers began leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship Wednesday after the end of a much-criticized, two-week quarantine that failed to stop the spread of a new virus among passengers and crew.