Coronavirus: Cases double globally every five days as UK invests in search for new vaccine

Britain has 50 specialist beds and 500 more potentially to isolate victims, says health secretary

UK-wide Coronavirus information campaign launches

A British man who flew home from China ​suffering from coronavirus-like symptoms is expecting to receive results within hours telling him whether he has the illness.

Anthony May-Smith, who was put into isolation after landing, said later he felt fine.

The total number of deaths from the epidemic in China has risen to 362, with new infections in China increasing by 2,829 on Sunday, bringing the total to 17,205.

At least another 171 cases – including two in Britain – have been reported in countries including Australia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia, Spain and Thailand.

The number of cases of the virus worldwide is doubling roughly every five days, Matt Hancock, the health secretary, revealed.

It came as Chinese scientists revealed they had uncovered fresh evidence that the novel coronavirus had originated in bats. 

Please see below for what was our live coverage.

[3 February 2020 08:48 · Jon Sharman]

Possible re-routing of US flights

In the US, the homeland security department has warned airline passengers that their plans may be diverted if it is discovered that someone on board has been in China in the last fortnight.

Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state, said a small number of flights would be heading to China to bring Americans back home from Hubei province, which is at the heart of the outbreak.

"The exact timing of those we're still coordinating with the Chinese government," he said at a press conference on Monday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. "We anticipate that they will happen in the next handful of days and we'll return those American citizens."

Mr Pompeo added: "We may well end up bringing some citizens back from other countries as well. We're working through the details on that."

The US may try to deliver some medical supplies to the region.

Speaking of Mike Pompeo, he was challenged by a reporter in Kazakhstan on his treatment of an American journalist who had asked him difficult questions.

[3 February 2020 08:55 · Jon Sharman]

Yet more travel restrictions

The Maldives has banned travellers arriving from China. It could hit the Indian Ocean nation's tourism industry, however, as Chinese tourists were the most numerous in 2019 - with 280,000 making the trip.

[3 February 2020 09:02 · Jon Sharman]

'Fearmongering'

China has accused the US of fostering an environment of fear instead of helping it combat the coronavirus.

Washington was the first foreign capital to suggest pulling out its embassy staff and the first to impose a ban on Chinese travellers, said foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

"All it has done could only create and spread fear, which is a bad example," she added.

The World Health Organisation said last week it didn't believe travel restrictions were necessary - but countries around the world have imposed them anyway.

[3 February 2020 09:10 · Jon Sharman]

  ↵Apple store closures

Apple has said it will close all of its stores and offices in mainland China until the end of the week amid fears over the coronavirus outbreak, writes Samuel Osborne.

“Out of an abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts, we’re closing all our corporate offices, stores, and contact centres in mainland China through 9 February,” Apple said in a statement.

The company said it looked forward to re-opening stores “as soon as possible”.

[3 February 2020 09:20 · Jon Sharman]

G7 call

Health ministers from the G7 countries will hold a teleconference to discuss coronavirus at 2pm today, Italy has said.

It comes a day after the death of the first patient outside China, which took place in the Philippines.

[3 February 2020 09:29 · Jon Sharman]

Hong Kong imposes new border restrictions

Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has said that 10 of 13 border crossings into mainland China have been closed. It's a more stringent measure than Ms Lam had previously acquiesed to but falls short of demands from some doctors that she shutter the entire frontier.

[3 February 2020 09:37 · Jon Sharman]

New hospital in Wuhan

A new 1,000-bed hospital has been built in just 10 days in Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak, writes Tim Wyatt.

The first patients have already begun arriving at the prefabricated Huoshenshan hospital, which was thrown up by the authorities after the scale of the epidemic became clear.

Thousands of construction workers toiled 24 hours a day to complete the two-storey, 60,000 square metre structure, which has 30 intensive care units.

[3 February 2020 09:42 · Jon Sharman]

Another hospital

In addition to the new 1,000-bed hospital that has been built in record time, a 1,500-bed facility is also due to open this week.

The ruling Communist Party's military wing, the People's Liberation Army, has sent 1,400 doctors, nurses and other personnel to staff the Wuhan hospital, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

[3 February 2020 09:46 · Jon Sharman]

Numbers update

There have been 151 cases of coronavirus in 23 countries outside China, the World Health Organisation has announced.

[3 February 2020 09:51 · Jon Sharman]

Do you need a face mask?

How concerned should the public be about contracting coronavirus, which is transmitted human-to-human, and are there practical steps you can take, like wearing a face mask, to reduce your risk? writes Sophie Gallagher.

Surgical masks were first introduced into hospitals in the late 1700s but they did not make the transition into public use until the Spanish flu outbreak in 1919.

The masks are designed for use in a clinical setting, such as a hospital ward or theatre, where they are primarily meant for preventing visible sprays or splashes of fluid.