Five more people have died in Hong Kong after contracting the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) virus, and 36 new cases have been reported.
The outbreak of SARS has now killed 61 people and infected a total of 1,268 in Hong Kong, the territory's department of health said.
The latest victims included a man (44) and a woman (62) who had no prior history of serious illness before they contracted the virus, said the statement.
The other three patients were two men aged 73 and a woman aged 54 who were all chronically ill before they were struck down by SARS.
The authorities do not include in their figures an American national who was pronounced dead on arrival at a Hong Kong hospital last week after being transferred from China.
A total of 257 people have made a full recovery and been discharged from hospital; 122 patients remain in intensive care.