Hong Kong health experts warns of thousands more carriers of novel coronavirus

Public health experts in Hong Kong warned on Monday that there could be thousands more carriers of a new virus from China, despite sweeping efforts to contain the disease.

Chinese health authorities say the new virus has infected 2,744 people and killed 80 as of midnight Sunday.

Analysis of data, according to Professor Gabriel Leung, Dean of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, suggests there could actually be up 26,000 people infected with the new coronavirus.

And on top of that, there could have been up to 44,000 people incubating the virus.

Leung warned that quarantine and travel control measures implemented so far might not have made a difference to the spread of the virus, and said precautionary preparations to deal with a global epidemic had to be stepped up.

The virus is from the coronavirus family that includes the common cold but also more severe illnesses like SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.

The new virus causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath and pneumonia.