Coronavirus live updates: China’s Hubei reports 14,840 new cases, 242 additional deaths

This is a live blog. Please check back for updates.

All times below are in Beijing time.

7:55 am: Hubei province reports 14,840 new cases

China's Hubei province reported an additional 242 deaths and 14,840 new cases as of Feb. 12.

7:41 am: Singapore cases hit 50, one of the highest outside China

Singapore's health ministry said as of Feb. 12, noon, the total number of confirmed infection cases hit 50, with three additional ones reported. Next to China and Japan, which is treating more than a hundred people who contracted the disease onboard a cruise ship, the city-state has one of the highest number of reported cases of the virus.

The health ministry said contact tracing for the confirmed cases is ongoing and that test results for 125 suspected cases are pending. Of the confirmed cases, more than half are a result of local transmissions where the affected individuals did not have any travel history or links to China. Singapore in recent days saw a surge in panic buying of groceries and other essential household items

All times below are in Eastern time.

2:12 pm: Mobile World Congress canceled after major tech companies pull out

Organizers of Mobile World Congress, the world's largest trade show for the mobile phone industry, have canceled the conference slated to start in Barcelona in less than two weeks. Facebook and other major companies have pulled out of MWC in recent days amid growing fears over the outbreak. “With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event,” GSMA said in a statement. — Browne

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11:50 am: CDC prepares for community outbreaks in US

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing for the coronavirus, named COVID-19, to “take a foothold in the U.S.,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters. “At some point, we are likely to see community spread in the U.S. or in other countries,” said Messonnier. “This will trigger a change in our response strategy.” — Lovelace

Read CNBC's coverage from the U.S. overnight: Mobile World Congress canceled, CDC prepares for outbreak in US.

— CNBC's Saheli Roy Choudhury, Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and William Feuer contributed to this report.

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