Chinese authorities have shut down transport networks in Wuhan, the city at the centre of the outbreak of a deadly Sars-like virus, amid efforts to contain the deadly disease as more than 100m Chinese prepare to travel for the lunar new year.
The coronavirus has killed 17 and infected at least 544 in 13 provinces, state media said on Wednesday, nearly doubling the death toll from a day earlier.
The disease is believed to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan in December but has now spread across the globe to Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Macau and North America. US authorities confirmed the first case on American soil on Tuesday.