The number of confirmed cases of the deadly new coronavirus has risen to 830, and Chinese authorities say 26 people are now dead. The aggressive virus has prompted unprecedented lockdowns in several cities during the country’s most important holiday. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, public transport has reportedly been shut down in at least 10 cities, which are home to a total of about 33 million people. At least eight hospitals in Wuhan have pleaded with the public for donations of masks, goggles, and gowns, according to the Associated Press. Authorities in the city of Wuhan, which is at the heart of the outbreak, have started building a 1,000-bed temporary hospital specifically for patients of the virus. It will be a prefab structure on a 270,000-square-foot lot, which authorities said should be open to treat patients by the start of the new month.
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