China warns coronavirus is getting stronger and infections could rise
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China has warned the ability of the deadly coronavirus to spread is getting stronger as the number infected globally rose to more than 2,000.
The authorities said little is known about the new virus and are unclear on the risks posed by it mutating.
National Health Commission Minister Ma Xiaowei said the incubation period for the coronavirus can range from one to 14 days, and is infectious during this time.
This was not the case with the previous Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) outbreak, which also originated in China and killed nearly 800 people around the world in 2002 and 2003.
In response to the mounting crisis, containment efforts, which to date have included transport and travel curbs and the cancellation of major events, are to be ramped up in China.
Containment efforts, which have thus far included transportation and travel curbs and the cancellation of big events, will be intensified, Ma told a crowded news briefing on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday.
The virus, believed to have originated late last year in a seafood market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan that was illegally selling wildlife, has spread to Chinese cities including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the United States, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France and Canada.
