Coronavirus: US raises travel warning level urging passengers to 'reconsider' travel to China

At least five confirmed cases in US, as UK officials request potential patients self-isolate

(Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

The US State Department has raised its travel warning to Level 3, warning passengers to "reconsider travel" to China as the Wuhan coronavirus spreads in the world.

The new travel advisory for the country was announced on Monday, and comes as airlines have begun issuing waivers for individuals with planned travel who are worried about the virus.

The State Department had last week issued a Level 4 advisory — the most severe — for the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus outbreak. Non-essential US personnel have already been evacuated from that area, meaning Americans who remain may have trouble receiving help.

"Reconsider travel to China due to ... coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. Some areas have increased risk," the travel advisory reads, noting that officials have seen an increase in the number of patients experiencing pneumonia as a result of the virus

The outbreak has raised alarms since it was first discovered in December, with more than 2,900 cases reported including at least 44 throughout the world, including confirmed cases in four US states, France, Canada and Australia. In the UK, over one thousand people who had travelled to Wuhan recently are being tested or monitored, but not cases have been confirmed as of yet.

The death toll has reached at least 81 in China, with many of those deaths coming from elderly people with pre-existing conditions.

Experts suggest that the actual number of infections could be much higher than the few thousand that have been reported, with professor Neil Ferguson at Imperial College in London telling the Guardian that his "best guess" is that there are around 100,000 people infected. Another figure put together by the University of Hong Kong suggests an outbreak closer to 43,000 people.

US health officials have warned American lawmakers that they are far from having the situation from under control in America. That warning came as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the there are potentially up to 110 cases of the virus in 22 states.

"We should be worried and concerned about this potential epidemic," said senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, after a briefing from health officials last week.

"What I heard in response to many questions is a tentative answer ... we need to know more," he continued.

So far, just five cases have been confirmed in the US. Canada reported its first patient on Monday, and said that 19 cases were under investigation in Ontario.