China opens coronavirus hospital

The first patients on Monday have checked into a new 1,000-bed treatment center that China built in just 10 days to tackle the rapidly spreading coronavirus. A second facility with more beds is scheduled to open later this week. Both hospitals are in the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak began in December. So far, at least 361 people have died and health officials have recorded 17,205 cases of the viral pneumonia.

How is the outbreak affecting the world? The virus has reached more than 20 countries, with the first death reported outside of China in the Philippines. In the United States, there are reports of the virus spreading anti-Chinese sentiment. In Hong Kong, 9,000 doctors, nurses, and hospital workers threatened to go on strike if the city does not close its border with China. The epidemic is hamstringing international stock markets: China’s Shanghai Composite index plunged nearly 8 percent on Monday despite the government pushing $173 billion into the markets. The Australian benchmark S&P/ASX200 index closed down 1.34 percent, while the Nikkei in Tokyo fell 1 percent.

Dig deeper: Read an in-depth report in The New York Times about how the Chinese government’s secrecy and bureaucracy exacerbated the virus’s quick onset.