Deadliest day of coronavirus outbreak in China so far as epicentre sees sharp rise in deaths and cases

Chinese paramilitary police officers wearing protective gear transfer pails of disinfectant in China's central Hubei province (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The Chinese province at the epicentre of the coronavirus outbreak has reported a record rise in deaths as well as a huge increase in the number of cases.

Officials in Hubei province said 242 people had died from the flu-like virus on Wednesday, the fastest rise in the daily count since the illness was first identified.

There were 14,840 new cases reported in Hubei alone on Thursday. This figure dwarfed the 2,015 new confirmed cases reported across all off mainland China the previous day.

News of the grim new tally comes after the first case of coronavirus was diagnosed in London, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to nine.

A medical staff member in Wuhan showing a test tube after taking samples from a person being tested for the new coronavirus (AFP via Getty Images)

The patient, understood to be a woman, contracted the illness in China but was diagnosed after flying into a London airport. She is now being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London.

The new figures in China came a day after the country had reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases in two weeks.

The latest UK patient is being treated at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital in London (Getty Images)

This bolstered a forecast by the country's senior medical adviser that the epidemic could end by April.

It comes after provincial officials started using computerised tomography (CT) scans to look for infections.

Hubei had previously only allowed infections to be confirmed by RNA tests, which can take days to process and delay treatment.

RNA, or ribonucleic acid, carries genetic information allowing for identification of organisms like viruses.

Using CT scans that reveal lung infections would help patients receive treatment as soon as possible and improve their chances of recovery, officials said.

The new diagnostic procedure also could lead to a spike in the death toll, according to Raina McIntyre, experts have said.

"Presumably, there are deaths which occurred in people who did not have a lab diagnosis but did have a CT. It is important that these also be counted," head of biosecurity research at the Kirby Institute at the University of New South Wales in Sydney.

Under previous, stricter rules for identifying coronavirus cases, patients were often denied access to treatment or went undiagnosed.

The new testing methodology is only being used in Hubei province so far, Chinese officials said.