Coronavirus: US to increase staff at nearly two dozen airports as 105 monitored for China disease

Globally, officials have reported some 4,500 cases and at least 106 deaths

A traveller wears a face mask at an airport in Germany (EPA)

The US is reportedly planning to increase staff at nearly two dozen airports across the country, with the intent to screen close to every passenger travelling from China for the coronavirus that has caused concern around the globe.

The decision by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention will mean that 20 US airports with quarantine facilities will have increased staffing from that agency, and comes after five people have been identified as carrying the virus. Meanwhile, the agency says it is monitoring or testing at least 105 people for the virus.

The virus has been found in Canada, France, Australia and Japan, after the outbreak was discovered in Wuhan, China.

So far, no cases have been reported in the United Kingdom, even as officials have held high level meetings and tested nearly 100 people for the disease.

The death toll has soared to at least 106, with the number of infections nearly doubling in a day from Monday to Tuesday, when officials said there were more than 4,500 cases.

The outbreak has led the US to warn passengers against travelling to China, and the Chinese government to effectively put Wuhan and the surrounding Hubei province on lockdown.

The disease is believed to have begun at a market in Wuhan, where animals are regularly kept and slaughtered.

The virus causes severe and acute respiratory infections, and there is not yet a cure or vaccine.

Chinese state media has said that a total of 60 people have been discharged from the hospital after recovery from the virus.

The outbreak has led to strict measures by Chinese officials, including the suspension of certain rail lines in the country.