China expert: Virus epidemic to peak later this month

The new virus that's killed more than 1,000 people in China and infected thousands more will reach its peak in the south of the country by the second half of February, a top virus expert said on Tuesday.

During a video conference with doctors in Wuhan, leading epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan said the increase of new coronavirus cases in China was gradually declining.

He pointed out that the measures of containment nationwide were working.

But he acknowledged the situation of Wuhan was still severe, where the increase of cases "had not been significantly reduced".

"The problem of human to human transmission has yet been resolved," Nanshan said.

The National Health Commission said in its daily update on Tuesday the total number of deaths in mainland China had risen to 1,016.

The total has far exceeded the toll of the 2002-03 outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which was caused by a different but related coronavirus.