Coronavirus news – live: Six treated for suspected deadly virus in UK as World Health Organisation says it's 'too early' to declare emergency

China has shut down at least eight cities encompassing 33 million people in an attempt to contain a deadly virus that has infected hundreds of people.

Some 830 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed and 26 people have died, the National Health Commission said on Thursday.

Most cases are in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated in a market which traded in illegal wildlife, but cases have also been confirmed in the United States, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, SIngapore and Vietnam.

Fourteen people have been tested for the virus in the UK, with five confirmed negative and nine still awaiting results, Public Health England (PHE) said on Thursday night.

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Key Points

• Some 830 cases confirmed and 26 killed
• China expands lockdowns to at least 10 cities
• Dozens tested for coronavirus in UK
• 'Too early' to declare global health emergency, WHO says

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2020-01-24T08:02:08.913Z

China has broadened its unprecedented lockdown to encompass around 25 million people in an attempt to contain a deadly new virus.

 

At least eight cities have been shut down - Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, Chibi, Qianjiang, Zhijiang, Jingmen and Xiantao - in central China.

 

The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan or people with connections the city, but outside the mainland, cases have been confirmed in Hong Kong, Macao, the United States, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.

• Samuel Osborne
• 24 January 2020 08:02