Soldiers spray disinfectant in Seoul. Jung Yeon-je/AFP via Getty Images

March 7 coronavirus news

By Ben Westcott, Adam Renton, Rob Picheta, Fernando Alfonso III and Amir Vera, CNN

Updated 9:00 p.m. ET, March 7, 2020
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10:12 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Facebook is going to ban ads for medical face masks

From CNN's Donie O’Sullivan

Facebook plans to temporarily ban medical face mask advertisements and commerce listings from its platform, according to the social media giant's director of product management.

Rob Leathern said in a tweet on Friday night that Facebook “will make necessary updates to our policies if we see people trying to exploit this public health emergency."

He said the change will be rolled out in the coming days.

9:43 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Novel coronavirus death toll nears 3,500

From CNN’s Shanshan Wang in Beijing and Taylor Barnes in Atlanta

China's National Health Commission reported 28 new deaths from the coronavirus today, bringing the global death toll to 3,491 since the epidemic began.

The total number of deaths in mainland China is now 3,070, the vast majority of which have been in Hubei province -- ground zero for the outbreak. The total number of confirmed infections in China is now 80,651, with an increase of 99 new cases on Friday.

Outside of mainland China, there have been 421 deaths, as of this morning:

Italy: 197 deaths

Iran: 124

South Korea: 44

United States: 15

Japan: 12

France: 9

Spain: 8

Hong Kong, Iraq and Australia: 2 deaths each

Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands have each reported 1 death.

9:34 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Hawaii confirms former Grand Princess passenger as first coronavirus case

From CNN's Andy Rose and Jon Passantino 

Hawaii has confirmed its first novel coronavirus case, according to state officials at a Friday news conference.

Governor David Ige said the patient is a Hawaii resident who traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship, which is now in quarantine off the coast of California. 

It’s the seventh confirmed case tied to the cruise ship.

Ige said the Hawaiian patient disembarked in Mexico, but officials are aware that the cruise ship also stopped at four Hawaiian ports last month. 

The state is examining the manifest of Grand Princess passengers to contact those who stopped in Hawaii, asking that they self-quarantine, he said.

9:35 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

If you're just joining us, here's the latest on the novel coronavirus outbreak

  • 100,000 infections:  The novel coronavirus has now killed more than 3,400 people, and infected over 101,300, according to CNN's tally -- the vast majority in mainland China.
  • US cases top 300: There are now more than 300 cases of the virus in the United States, with at least 28 states announcing confirmed or presumptive confirmed cases. The US has recorded 15 deaths linked to the virus.
  • Senior citizens told to stay home: Older US citizens are being encouraged to avoid going out as much as possible by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as cases rise.
  • 21 infected onboard cruise ship: Passengers and crew were devastated to learn that 21 people had been diagnosed with the coronavirus aboard their cruise ship, which is in quarantine off the California coast. They were not informed before they heard it from a news conference by US Vice President Mike Pence.
  • South Korean cases rise above 6,700: Seoul announced over 480 new infections of the coronavirus today, bringing the country's total infections to 6,767. South Korea has the most cases of the virus outside of China.
  • Death toll grows in Iran: At least 124 people have died from the coronavirus in Iran, the government announced Friday, with 17 new fatalities confirmed in one day. Among those killed was a newly-elected female Iranian politician.
  • "This is not a drill," WHO says: The director-general of the World Health Organization has warned governments that the coronavirus spread is "not a drill." It said significant action would be required to contain the outbreak, with clusters expanding in South Korea, Japan, parts of Europe, Iran and the United States. 

And if you're told to self-quarantine, here's what you need to know.

9:10 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

BREAKING: More than 300 cases of coronavirus confirmed in the US

There are at least 304 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States as of Friday evening, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state and local governments. 

According to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through US public health systems, 255 cases have been detected in 28 states.

After including the 49 cases in repatriated citizens, the total number of coronavirus cases in the United States is 304.

This total includes both presumptive positive cases that tested positive in a public health lab and are pending confirmation from the CDC, and confirmed cases that have received positive results from the CDC.

A total of 15 people have died from the virus in the United States -- 14 in Washington state and one in California.

9:07 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Australia reports 63 coronavirus cases

From journalist Chermaine Lee in Hong Kong

Australia now has 63 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, the country’s Department of Health said in a statement on Saturday.

Two deaths linked to the virus have been reported in the country.

9:01 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Taiwan reports new coronavirus case

From journalist Chermaine Lee in Hong Kong

Taiwan confirmed an additional coronavirus case on Saturday, raising the island’s total to 45, a statement from the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The newly confirmed case is a woman in her 50s who was in the same hospital ward as a previous case.

8:56 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Mexico announces sixth case of coronavirus

From CNN’s Tatiana Arias in Atlanta

Mexico’s health authorities confirmed one new case of novel coronavirus at a news conference late Friday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to six.

The latest case is a 71-year-old man who traveled to Italy. Authorities said he was in critical condition, but is now stable and under observation.

8:50 p.m. ET, March 6, 2020

Third Washington state nursing home reports coronavirus infection

A resident of a nursing home in Issaquah, Washington tested positive last night for the novel coronavirus, according to Eastside Fire Deputy Chief Rich Burke.

The patient has since been transferred from the facility to a local hospital, and three firefighters who responded to the scene have self-quarantined.

“We worked closely with the Kirkland Fire Department and learned a lot from what they went through,” Burke said.

The Issaquah Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, where the patient was living, posted a message on its website saying it had implemented infection control procedures for staff and residents.

This is the third senior care facility in the past week in Washington state to have a resident diagnosed with coronavirus.