The first patients have arrived at a 1,000-bed hospital built in eight days as part of China's efforts to fight the coronavirus, according to state media.

The total number of deaths in China has risen to 425, China's National Health Commission has said, with 20,438 confirmed cases overall.

There had been a further 2,345 cases detected in Hubei, the epicentre of the outbreak, taking the total in the province to 13,522.

A specially built Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, has been equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and ventilation systems.

No details about the patients' identities or conditions have been released.


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The facility was reportedly built by a 7,000-member crew of carpenters, plumbers, electricians and other specialists, and has 30 intensive care units.

A second hospital with 1,500 beds is also under construction in the city and is due to open soon.

Leading Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan, who played a major role in overcoming China's 2002-03 outbreak of SARS, told state broadcaster CCTV the additional beds and space were crucial to stopping the spread of new infections because sick patients could now stay in hospital rather than being sent home.

The flu-like virus has spread to at least 25 outside of China, affecting around 150 people, with the first death outside of China reported on Sunday, that of a 44-year-old Chinese man who died in the Philippines after travelling from Wuhan.

Early on Tuesday, Hong Kong reported a man there had died of the virus.

In a sign of the economic toll of the outbreak, China's Shanghai Composite index plunged 8.7%, wiping almost $370bn (£256bn) off the market value, as financial markets reopened on Monday following the Lunar New Year holiday.

The yuan opened at its weakest level this year and slid 1%, past the symbolic 7-per-dollar level in onshore trade.

China's central bank sent a powerful message about its intent to support the economy, with a larger than expected injection of funds into markets, and Beijing also said it would help firms that produce vital goods resume work as soon as possible, CCTV reported.

Lian Weiliang of China's National Development and Reform Commission said the impact from the outbreak would be short term and that China was fully capable of minimising the economic impact from the outbreak.

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China cut off from the world

It comes as China is facing mounting isolation in the face of increasing travel restrictions and flight suspensions.

The epidemic has led to countries including the UK and US evacuating their citizens from China.

New Zealand is barring all foreign nationals arriving from mainland China from Monday - following the US, Singapore and Australia after they took the same action.

South Korea says it will stop people who have visited Hubei province from entering the country from Tuesday, while Vietnam has suspended all flights to and from China.

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The US confirmed its eighth case - a student at the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts - while the Pentagon has said it will provide housing for 1,000 people arriving from overseas who might need to be quarantined.

Japan confirmed an additional three cases of the new coronavirus among evacuees from Wuhan, bringing the country's total to 20 cases.

Vietnam has confirmed an additional three cases of coronavirus, bringing the country's total to eight cases.

The WHO, which declared the outbreak a global public health emergency last week, has said global trade and travel restrictions are not needed.

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But the list of international airlines suspending all or some flights to China is growing.

The latest were the Australian airline Qantas Airways Ltd and Air New Zealand, which said travel bans forced them to suspend their direct flights to China from 9 February.

United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, the three major US carriers, said on Friday that they would cancel flights to mainland China.

The commander of US forces in the Pacific has banned travel to China for all service members and civilian personnel under his authority and ordered those now in China to leave immediately, officials said.

The US, from Sunday, began directing all flights from China to seven major airports where passengers can be screened for illness.

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German health minister Jens Spahn has called for calm and warned against hysteria as more than 100 Germans and family members landed in Frankfurt, with none showing any symptoms of the virus.

Germany had eight confirmed cases as of Saturday evening. German newspaper Der Spiegel reported on Sunday that a further two people who flew into the country from Wuhan were infected.

The Russian military will start evacuating Russian citizens from China on Monday and Tuesday, the Interfax and TASS news agencies reported.

Russia, which has already restricted direct flights with its biggest trading partner, also said it was suspending visa-free travel for Chinese visitors and halting work visas.

Image: German and foreign nationals are seen being evacuated from the Chinese city of Wuhan

British evacuations

Britain, which has had two confirmed cases, said it was withdrawing some staff from its embassy and consulates in China.

One of the British people infected with the coronavirus is a student at the University of York.

Health authorities are rushing to identify anyone who has come into contact with the pair.

A second evacuation flight carrying 11 British nationals arrived at RAF Brize Norton via France on Sunday after the first flight landed on Friday with 83 Britons.

One of the latest evacuees, Anthony May-Smith, is waiting for tests to come back on Tuesday after he was isolated from other passengers because he felt unwell on the flight.

Image: Anthony May-Smith was isolated from other passengers because he had a cold and sore throat

He told Sky News: "We went through a load of checks at the airport in Wuhan, I had a bit of a cough and a sore throat there.

"Then there was 30 of us on that flight to France that were put in a quarantine section on the flight.

"When we boarded the plane in France to come to the UK, the nurse asked if any of us had had any sort of symptoms in China.

"I made myself known to her and she told me to sit away from anybody else on the flight.

"There were people with babies on the flight and I obviously just didn't want to be anywhere near them, just in case.

"I feel fine now, I think it's probably the stress of getting back and being run down more than anything."

On Monday, the British government donated £20m to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), a global body aiming to fast-track a vaccine within six to eight months - a timeline its chief executive said was "unprecedented".

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Chinese province on lockdown

Most international cases have been in people who had recently travelled to or were visiting from Hubei province.

The province has been under a virtual quarantine for the last week, with roads sealed off and public transport shut down.

Six officials in the city of Huanggang, which is in the same province and neighbours Wuhan, have been fired over "poor performance" in handling the outbreak, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The agency cited the mayor as saying the city's "capabilities to treat the patients remained inadequate and there is a severe shortage in medical supplies such as protective suits and medical masks".

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Chinese authorities have placed restrictions on travel and business in other parts of the countries.

The provincial government in Hubei has extended a holiday break in the country to 13 February in a bid to contain the outbreak, the Hubei Daily reported.

Infections have jumped in two cities flanking Wuhan, where the new virus is believed to have originated, raising concerns that new hot spots are emerging despite strict transport restrictions.