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The deadly coronavirus first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has since spread to other parts of the world including Europe, Australasia and Asia.
The flu-like strain is transmitted via droplets in coughs and sneezes and has so far killed 132 with almost 6,000 people infected.
Chinese authorities have put the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located, on lockdown and public transport has been stopped.
Residents have been warned to stay in the city and not to gather in groups.
Wuhan, China: Coronavirus – In pictures
1/25
Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
2/25
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
3/25
An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
4/25
Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
5/25
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
6/25
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
7/25
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
8/25
Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
9/25
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
10/25
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
11/25
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
12/25
A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
13/25
Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
14/25
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
15/25
A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
16/25
An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
17/25
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
18/25
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
19/25
An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
20/25
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
21/25
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
22/25
The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
23/25
Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
24/25
Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
25/25
A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
1/25
Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
2/25
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
3/25
An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
4/25
Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
5/25
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
6/25
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
7/25
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
8/25
Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
9/25
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
10/25
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
11/25
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
12/25
A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
13/25
Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
14/25
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
15/25
A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
16/25
An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
17/25
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
18/25
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
19/25
An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
20/25
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
21/25
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
22/25
The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
23/25
Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
24/25
Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
25/25
A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
What is coronavirus and what are the symptoms?
Coronavirus comes from a family of viruses which give rise to a huge range of illnesses from the mild common cold to severe SARS and MERS.
It is thought to have originated from animals and traces of the disease were found at a live animal market in Wuhan which also sold poultry and seafood.
The contagious virus is airborne and spreads via droplets which can be transmitted via coughs and sneezes – this has led to lots of people in the region wearing facemasks.
Initial symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, runny nose, headache and shortness of breath.
Later signs include chills and body aches.
Coronaviruses are named after the spikes that protrude from their membranes, like the sun’s corona.
Because SARS and MERS proved deadly, the emergence of a new coronavirus has been treated with caution.
Which places have reported cases of coronavirus so far?
The infection has rippled out from the epicentre in Wuhan, China and spread around the globe.
Confirmed cases of coronavirus have been identified in countries including Canada, France and Singapore.
Australia:
Five cases have been confirmed in the region.
The latest victim was announced on Monday and the 21-year-old woman had travelled on the last flight out of Wuhan to Sydney.
Cambodia:
One case has been confirmed in the region.
The Chinese patient travelled from Wuhan to the coastal city of Sihanoukville.
Cambodia Health Minister, Mam Bunheng said the infected man came with his family earlier this month.
Canada:
Three cases have been confirmed in Canada.
Two of the infected people are a husband and wife in their 50s who recently travelled to Wuhan.
China:
The epicentre of the outbreak, there have been around 6,000 confirmed cases of the infection and 132 people have died.
The first person who contracted the illness – patient zero – is thought to have picked it up at a live animal food market in Wuhan.
Virologists, medical doctors that oversee the diagnosis, management and prevention of infection, have identified that bats and snakes can carry the strain.
Dubai:
One family have tested positive for the strain in the region.
The Ministry of Health and Community Protection announced that the relatives travelled from Wuhan to the UAE and they are all Chinese.
They are said to be in a stable condition under medical observation.
France:
The country has four confirmed cases.
The latest patient was an elderly Chinese tourist in “serious condition” who was receiving emergency treatment in a hospital in the capital, Health Ministry director Jerome Salomon told reporters in Paris.
He was visiting France from the Hubei province hardest hit by the outbreak.
Germany:
Four cases have been identified in Germany after a Chinese colleague flew into the county for a training workshop.
The infected woman, who had not previously shown any symptoms, flew home to Shanghai on Thursday and went to a doctor after feeling ill on the flight.
She tested positive for the virus and was recently visited by family members from Wuhan before the trip.
Hong Kong:
Eight people have contracted the strain in the region, according to the latest figures from the press association.
In a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus, Hong Kong announced on Tuesday that it will deny entry to individual travellers from the mainland, dramatically expanding a ban that had previously applied only to visitors from Hubei province.
Japan:
Seven cases have been identified in Japan.
The government hired a charter plan to evacuate around 200 citizens from Wuhan and it landed on Wednesday, January 29.
Japanese authorities said that people who showed symptoms would be transferred directly to a hospital, while those who appeared healthy would be tested for the virus and then asked to quarantine themselves for two weeks
Macau:
Seven people in the world’s gambling capital of Macau had been infected with coronavirus.
Travellers arriving in Macau who had been in Hubei in the last two weeks must have medical documentation proving they aren’t infected, or they will be denied entry, the government said.
Malaysia:
Malaysia confirmed four cases on January 25. All were Chinese nationals on holiday from Wuhan who had arrived in the country from Singapore two days earlier.
Nepal:
One case has been confirmed in the area and the government said it is testing two more people for the infection.
Singapore:
Singapore has five cases.
All the infection carriers travelled from Wuhan for the Lunar New Year holidays.
South Korea:
There are four confirmed cases in the region.
Among them a 55-year-old man who visited Wuhan tested positive for the strain.
He showed no symptoms of infection when he was screened at an airport upon his return to Korea on Jan 20.
But six days later he had a high fever and aching muscles and was diagnosed with the virus.
Sri Lanka:
Sri Lanka confirmed its first case of coronavirus on January 27.
The patient was identified as a 43-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei who had arrived in Sri Lanka as a tourist. She was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Taiwan:
Taiwan has uncovered five cases including a woman who had visited Wuhan for work.
The island’s authorities have since advised against travel to the Hubei province and on January 24 said any arrivals from Wuhan would be rejected by immigration.
All arrivals from the rest of China – including Hong Kong and Macau – must fill out health declaration forms on arrival.
The territory has also banned the export of face masks for a month to ensure domestic supplies.
Thailand:
Thailand has detected 14 cases so far.
Sukhum Kanjanapimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said on Tuesday all six latest cases are Chinese tourists from the Hubei province who entered Thailand several days ago.
The infected include five members of the same family.
All six were taken to a hospital in Nonthaburi province.
US:
Five cases have been confirmed.
All of the infected had recently travelled to Wuhan.
Two were identified in California, and one was identified in Arizona, Chicago and Washington state.
Wuhan, China: Coronavirus – In pictures
1/25
Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
2/25
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
3/25
An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
4/25
Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
5/25
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
6/25
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
7/25
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
8/25
Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
9/25
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
10/25
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
11/25
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
12/25
A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
13/25
Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
14/25
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
15/25
A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
16/25
An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
17/25
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
18/25
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
19/25
An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
20/25
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
21/25
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
22/25
The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
23/25
Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
24/25
Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
25/25
A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
1/25
Passengers wear face masks as the push their luggage after arriving from a flight at Terminal 5 of London Heathrow Airport
AFP via Getty Images
2/25
Taking precautions: with fears growing that the coronavirus will spread from China, a health official checks a woman’s temperature on the underground in Beijing
Getty Images
3/25
An empty road is seen in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province on January 27, 2020, amid a deadly virus outbreak which began in the city
AFP via Getty Images
4/25
Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
5/25
Students wearing masks meditate prior to a lesson at a high school in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
AP
6/25
An arrivals board showing a cancelled flight from Wuhan to Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the Government’s Cobra committee is meeting in Downing Street to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus
PA
7/25
Paramilitary police wear face masks as they stand guard at Tiananmen Gate adjacent to Tiananmen Square in Beijing
AP
8/25
Medical staff at the Wuhan Red Cross Hospital wear protective clothing to help stop the spread of a deadly virus
AFP via Getty Images
9/25
Staff move bio-waste containers past the entrance of the Wuhan Medical Treatment Center, where some infected with a new virus are being treated, in Wuhan, China
AP
10/25
Buddhist monks wear masks as they walk near Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodi
AP
11/25
Workers driving excavators at the construction site of a field hospital In Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The builders will complete the 1,000-bed hospital by February 3 to cope with the surge of 2019-nCoV patients in the city
Getty Images
12/25
A woman and a child wearing protective masks walk toward check-in counters at Daxing international airport in Beijing
AFP via Getty Images
13/25
Medical staff transfer a patient suspected of having the new coronavirus at the Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
Reuters
14/25
Pedestrians wear face masks as they walk outside the New Orient Landmark hotel in Macau
AFP via Getty Images
15/25
A Chinese passenger checked for a fever by a health worker at a Beijing railway station
Getty Images
16/25
An employee works to prevent a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
17/25
A policeman wearing a mask walks past a quarantine notice about the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China at an arrival hall of Haneda airport in Tokyo, Japan
Reuters
18/25
Excavators at the construction site of a new hospital being built to treat patients from a deadly virus outbreak in Wuhan in China’s central Hubei province. – China is rushing to build a new hospital in a staggering 10 days to treat patients at the epicentre of a deadly virus outbreak that has stricken hundreds of people, state media reported on January 24. (Photo b
AFP via Getty Images
19/25
An employee sprays disinfectant on a train as a precaution against a new coronavirus at Suseo Station in Seoul, South Korea
AP
20/25
Medical staff carry a box as they walk at the Jinyintan hospital
Reuters
21/25
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that have a halo, or crown-like (corona) appearance when viewed under an electron microscope
CDC/Dr Fred Murphy
22/25
The resident wear masks to buy vegetables in the market in Wuhan
Getty Images
23/25
Staff sell masks at a Yifeng Pharmacy in Wuhan
AP
24/25
Masked workers disinfect a passenger throughfare at the Taoyuan International Airport
AFP via Getty Images
25/25
A rescue worker walks past a notice about the virus that has broken out in China
Reuters
Vietnam:
Two cases have been detected in the region.
A man from Wuhan who travelled to Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month passed the virus to his son.
Both were being treated in hospital and are stable, Vietnamese health officials said.
Has it come to the UK?
There are zero confirmed cases in the UK.
The Department of Health and Social Care said 97 people in the UK have been given the all-clear for the virus, although scientists predict it may have entered the country.
