Coronavirus: Worldwide cases surpass Sars outbreak in 2003

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed that of the Sars epidemic, which spread to more than two dozen countries in 2003.

There were around 8,100 cases of Sars - severe acute respiratory syndrome - reported during that outbreak.

But at least 9,962 people have been infected with the new coronavirus, which emerged in China on 31 December. The number of deaths stands at 213 - all in China. That is far lower than the 774 people killed by Sars.

On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency over the outbreak. It said there had been 98 cases outside China, but no deaths.

But on Friday, two cases of the virus were confirmed for the first time in the UK.

• The lessons learned from the Sars outbreak
• How the coronavirus spread
• US advises against all travel to China over virus

Most international cases are in people who had been to the Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei province, where the virus originated.

However, in eight cases - in Germany, Japan, Vietnam and the United States - patients were infected by people who had travelled to China.

How does this outbreak compare to Sars?

The Sars virus, which was also a type of coronavirus that originated in China, spread to 26 countries in the early 2000s.

The new virus has spread to fewer countries and - while more people have been infected globally - it has resulted in fewer deaths.

On Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases within China surpassed the Sars epidemic.