UK coronavirus cases double to eight

Britain says its number of confirmed coronavirus cases has doubled to eight as the government declares the virus a serious and imminent threat, giving it additional powers to isolate those suspected of infection.

Alarm over the coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China in December is driven by its rapid spread and the fact infectious disease experts cannot yet say how deadly or contagious it is.

It has killed more than 900 people, most of them in China, and has spread to at least 27 countries and territories. The two deaths outside mainland China were in Hong Kong and the Philippines.

"Four further patients in England have tested positive for novel coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the UK to eight," England's Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said on Monday.

The new cases were all known contacts of a previously confirmed British patient in France and identified by public health officials working to trace possible cases.

Health minister Matt Hancock declared the virus "a serious and imminent threat to public health", a step that gives the government more powers to isolate people.

"We are strengthening our regulations so we can keep individuals in supported isolation for their own safety and if public health professionals consider they may be at risk of spreading the virus to other members of the public," a health ministry spokesman said.

Arrowe Park Hospital, near Liverpool in northern England, and Kents Hill Park, in Milton Keynes, have been designated as isolation facilities.