China reported no new SARS cases today for the first time since it began releasing figures on the deadly disease, while Canada waited nervously to see if it was in the throes of a renewed outbreak.
China's zero-infections announcement was the first since the world's most populous nation began revealing figures for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) on April 20th.
Although it did report two more deaths - in Inner Mongolia and Zhejiang provinces - the infection rate appears to have fallen precipitously.
On May 15th it reported 52 infections, on May 1st there were 187 and on March 20th there were 339.
The new figures bring the nationwide death toll to 334 from 5,328 SARS infections.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman in China cautioned Beijing to not let down its guard despite the news.
"We are just as pleased as China to see this continuing trend. Just as China does, we urge continued caution," said spokesman Mr Bob Dietz.
"We think the figures we are seeing pretty fairly reflect reality, at least for the provinces we have traveled in. We are greatly concerned about places like Canada and Taiwan where we have seen a resurgence. We will not drop our guard."
Scepticism has hung over China's official data since it admitted in April to covering up the extent of SARS.
The disease first appeared in China's southern Guangdong province in November and quickly spread to neighbouring Hong Kong. But Chinese authorities, in a bid to prevent a potentially destabilising national panic, kept a lid on the news.
After being struck off the blacklist in mid-May, Canada was put back on last week when a cluster of possible new cases were discovered in Toronto.
Another death last night - bringing the country's tally to 31 dead - did nothing to ease Canadian nerves. Six new probable cases were also discovered, bringing the tally in the new cluster to 52 sufferers.
Some 5,200 people are in quarantine for 10 days, the incubation period of the disease. Only at the end of their isolation period will experts know if they have SARS and whether or not Canada faces another scare like that which prompted a WHO travel advisory for Toronto in April.
In contrast, euphoric Sinaporeans were out spending today as the feel-good factor from being struck off the SARS list on Saturday was translated into cold hard cash.
The city's stock exchange Straits Times Index surged 2.32 per cent, or 31.95 points and the bouyant mood also swept through shopping centres, where retailers had reported sales slumps of up to 70 per cent during the worst of the crisis.
Figures from other former SARS hotspots suggested the virus was in recession throughout the rest of Asia.
In Hong Kong, health authorities reported four new infections and one death, bringing the territory's toll to 282 dead from 1,747 infections.
And Taiwan reported four new cases, taking the number of infections to 684. The death toll has remained at 81 since Thursday.
The global number of cases now stands at 8,394 with 772 deaths.
AFP