Coronavirus outbreak: Death toll passes 40 in China as doctors continue to test UK patients

Doctors in the UK are continuing to test patients for deadly Coronavirus today as the death toll in China reached more than 40.

There are still no confirmed cases of the virus in the UK, but health officials say that a total of 31 people have now been tested.

Coronavirus broke out in the city of Wuhan, China, and has so far claimed the lives of 41 people.

Worldwide, more than 1,400 cases of the deadly flu-like virus have been confirmed - including the first three in Europe, which were announced in France on Friday.

British health officials are attempting to track down around 2,000 people who are believed to have travelled from the Wuhan area into the UK in recent weeks, so that they can carry out tests.

Passengers in the arrivals concourse at Heathrow Terminal 4, London, as the UK government's Cobra committee met to discuss the threat to the UK from coronavirus (Steve Parsons/PA Wire)

England's Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty said there was a "fair chance" cases will emerge in Britain although the risk to the general public "remains low".

The professor spoke following a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall on Friday, chaired by Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Chinese New Year celebrations have been put on hold across central China as hospitals struggle to cope with demand from patients needing tests.

Workers are racing to build a brand new hospital in Wuhan consisting of an additional 1,000-beds, while there are fears that medical supplies are running low.

Sixteen cities in the Hubei province have now been put on lock-down with all flights grounded and residents being prevented from traveling.

An electrician sets up wiring while workers drive excavators at the construction site of a field hospital in Wuhan (Getty Images)

Around 50 million people have been affected by the national lock-down, which covers a population area greater than that of New York, London, Paris and Moscow combined.

The Coronavirus outbreak is believed to have originated at a Wuhan market that sold live animals, including illegal wildlife and seafood.

Elsewhere in China, Disneyland Shanghai and parts of the Great Wall of China have been closed to visitors.

Australia announced its first case of the disease on Saturday while the United States has now confirmed its second case.

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