Coronavirus death toll surpasses that of SARS Climbs to 813 in China; but officials say cases of the infection are declining Beijing: The death toll in Chinau2019s coronavirus outbreak jumped to 813 on Sunday, surpassing global fatalities in the 2002- 03 SARS epidemic, even as Chinese officials said the cases of deadly infection have started declining for the first time after weeks of sharp rise.

With 91 more people dying, most in Hubei province, the novel coronavirus death toll is now higher than the 774 people killed worldwide by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ( SARS) epidemic that started in southern China.