Coronavirus: China admits millions fled ground zero city of Wuhan

China has revealed almost five million people managed to flee the city of Wuhan before it was locked down last Thursday.

An ambulance drives across a nearly empty bridge in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus has hit hardest. Picture: AP

China has extended its national Lunar New Year holiday to try to contain a deadly new coronavirus strain, as local officials in Wuhan — ground zero for the disease — revealed almost five million ­people managed to flee the city before it was locked down last Thursday.

With 81 people dead from the pneumonia-like disease and at least 2744 already infected in China, Beijing has quarantined more than 50 million people across 17 cities in Hubei province, banned international group tours, and extended the national holiday for three days to Sunday.

On Monday, Shantou city in southern Guangdong Province became the latest to impose travel restrictions, banning all non-emergency vehicles, ships and personnel from entering.

Among the newest cases in China was a nine-month-old ­infant and a two-year-old girl.

Beijing has also announced a nationwide temporary ban on the wildlife meat trade — the virus is believed to have begun in a Wuhan seafood and wildlife market — while Hong Kong has kept schools closed for an extra fortnight and banned visitors from Hubei province.

The measures came as scientists from China’s National Health Commission revealed the virus was infectious during the ­incubation stage, which is different to the 2002-03 SARS disease which killed 774 people and infected more than 8000 others.

“From what we see, this disease is not as powerful as SARS,” said Gao Fu, head of China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention at a press briefing in Beijing. But Ma Xiaowei, head of China’s ­National Health Commission, said it appeared the “spreading ability of the virus is getting stronger”.

The new disease had an incubation period of up to two weeks and was contagious during that time, whereas SARS was not, Mr Ma said.

Duke University infectious diseases specialist Linfa Wang said the latest revelation was a “huge development”, and scientists now needed to know the ratio of ­patients infected during the non-symptomatic incubation stage compared to those who caught the disease from a carrier already showing symptoms.

The disease has spread to at least 16 countries, with Malaysia, Canada and France among the most recent to confirm cases.

The US, France, Russia, Japan and South Korea are all preparing to evacuate citizens.

In Taiwan, meanwhile, a man who hid his upper respiratory symptoms when returning from Wuhan last week — and has since tested positive for the coronavirus — has been fined $US10,000 ($14,725) for concealing his illness.

Beijing has deployed 450 army medical officers to Wuhan to help local hospitals overwhelmed with cases and struggling with shortages, while construction continues on two new hospitals due for completion early next month. The central government is ­facing criticism over its ­initially sluggish reaction to the virus, which first appeared in late ­November but was reported to the World Health Organisation only late last month.

Additional reporting: agencies