Coronavirus cases exceed SARS outbreak in China

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in China, where the new virus originated, has exceeded the number of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on mainland China during the outbreak in the early 2000s, The Associated Press reported Wednesday. 

China has confirmed 5,974 cases of coronavirus, surpassing the 5,327 cases of SARS in the 2002-2003 outbreak, the AP noted. 

The death toll from coronavirus, however, is still lower than SARS in China. The coronavirus death toll rose to 132, less than the 348 deaths in China by SARS, according to the news service. 

The virus is spreading quickly in China. The number of confirmed cases Wednesday rose by almost 1,500 from Tuesday to Wednesday, an increase of more than 30 percent, CNN reports. 

The virus, which originated in central Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread across the globe. More than 80 cases have been reported outside of mainland China, including its first confirmed cases in the Middle East on Wednesday. A Chinese family of four was diagnosed with the disease in the United Arab Emirates, according to the UAE Ministry of Health. 

Five cases have been confirmed in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.