Death Toll among Coronavirus Victims Rises to 56

More than 2,000 people have been infected with a new coronavirus, the vast majority in China where 56 people have died from it.

The United States has said that it will evacuate some of its citizens from the center of the outbreak from the town.

During a Saturday Politburo conference, President Xi Jinping said that China was facing a "serious situation" while health authorities around the world strive to avert the pandemic.

The virus, suspected to have emerged late last year in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that illegally sold wildlife, has spread to Chinese cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as to the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada.

China announced on Sunday a nationwide ban on wildlife sales in stores, restaurants and e-commerce sites. Wild and often poached animals bundled together in the Chinese markets are blamed for viruses as incubators for developing and jumping the barrier to human species.

You can also find snakes, peacocks, crocodiles, and other animals for sale through Taobao, an e-commerce website run by Alibaba.

The U.S. State Department said on a Jan. 28 flight to San Francisco, it will transfer staff at its Wuhan consulate to the United States and sell a limited number of seats to private U.S. citizens.

This week, the World Health Organization stopped short of calling the outbreak a global health emergency, but some health experts doubt whether China will carry on controlling the disease.

China confirmed 1,975 cases of patients infected with the latest coronavirus on Sunday as of Jan. 25, while the death toll from the virus has risen to 56, said state broadcaster CCTV.

The outbreak has led to expanding curbs on China's movements, with Wuhan, an 11 million area, on virtual lockdown, with all - but severed transport links except for emergency vehicles.

Health authorities in Beijing urged people not to shake hands but to use a conventional cupped-hand gesture instead of saluting. The advice was sent in a Sunday morning text message that went out to city mobile phone users.

The outbreak has overshadowed the start of the Lunar New Year, usually a festive time of year, with the cancellation of public events and the closure of many tourist sites. Many on social media have been calling for an extension of the week-long holiday to help prevent further spread of the virus.

WeChat, China's omnipresent messaging app, warned it could block rumor-spreading accounts.