China's virus cases, deaths rise, but count revised again

New virus cases in China have again declined, up just 394, after authorities on Feb. 20 again changed how they count new daily infections. They are now discounting cases that had come back negative after laboratory tests.

Another 114 people were reported to have died from the new illness, COVID-19, as health inspectors went door-to-door to find every infected person in the worst-hit city of Wuhan.

Japan's health ministry said two former passengers of a virus-stricken cruise ship have died, raising the number of deaths in Japan to three. The Diamond Princess has the most cases outside China with 621 passengers and crew testing positive.

Mainland China has reported 2,118 deaths and 74,576 total cases. While the overall spread of the virus has been slowing, the situation remains severe in Hubei province and its capital, Wuhan, where the new coronavirus was first detected in December. More than 80 percent of the country's cases are in Hubei and 95 percent of the deaths, according to data from China's National Health Commission.

The new daily figure is a notable drop from the 1,749 cases recorded the previous day. The NHC said 279 cases were deducted from the daily report after nucleic acid tests showed negative results.

Inspectors in protective suits went door-to-door on Feb. 19 in Wuhan to try to find every infected person. "This must be taken seriously," said Wang Zhonglin, the city's newly minted Communist Party secretary.

Cities in Hubei with a combined population of more than 60 million have been under lockdown since the Lunar New Year holiday.

Authorities halted nearly all transportation and movement except for quarantine efforts, medical care, and delivery of food and basic necessities. "Wartime'' measures...