China virus death toll nears 1,400, US bemoans 'lack of transparency'

Nearly 64,000 people are now recorded as having been made ill by the coronavirus in China, with the last two days showing a steep rise after a change in diagnostic methods. [AFP]

The death toll from China's virus epidemic neared 1,400 on Friday, as the United States complained of a "lack of transparency" from Beijing over its handling of a crisis that has fuelled global panic.