Australians appear to be far more anxious about the deadly coronavirus than they were about the bushfires that raged over summer, leading Beyond Blue to warn the global pandemic may result in a spike in suicides.

"We are seeing an increasing number of calls, web chats and emails about COVID-19," Beyond Blue chief executive Georgie Harman told the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.

The coronavirus is causing a spike in anxiety.

"There's been a four-fold increase in contacts directly related to the virus since early March ... it's a grave concern because it's reflective of the significant and quite valid anxiety that the community is feeling right now."

Beyond Blue's 'Coping during the Coronavirus outbreak' thread on its online discussion forum had received a record average 2000 hits per day, Ms Harman said - seven times more than a similar thread set up during the summer bushfires.