China reports sharp rise in coronavirus infections

China on Monday reported a sharp rise in cases of a new coronavirus, including the first in the capital.

The outbreak coincides with the country's busiest travel period, as millions board trains and planes for the Lunar New Year holidays.

Health authorities in the central city of Wuhan, where the viral pneumonia appears to have originated, said an additional 136 cases have been confirmed in the city, which now has a total of 198 infected patients.

As of the weekend, a third patient died, bringing the death toll to three.

Two people in Beijing and one in the southern city of Shenzhen have also been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. The three people had visited Wuhan.

Authorities in Thailand and in Japan have already identified at least three cases, all involving recent travel from China.

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said China is maintaining close communication and cooperation with authorities of foreign countries where cases were reported.

He also said the local Wuhan government is taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus through travelers leaving the region, although he did not give any details.

At least a half-dozen countries in Asia and three U.S. airports have started screening incoming airline passengers from central China.

Many of the initial cases had connections to a seafood market in Wuhan, which was closed for an investigation.

Coronaviruses cause diseases ranging from the common cold to SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome.

SARS first infected people in southern China in late 2002 and spread to more than two dozen countries, killing nearly 800. The Chinese government initially tried to conceal the severity of the SARS epidemic, but its cover-up was exposed by a high-ranking physician.

The virus causing the current outbreak is different from those previously identified, Chinese scientists said earlier this month. Initial symptoms of the novel coronavirus include fever, cough, tightness of the chest and shortness of breath.