Coronavirus latest: More than 50 people tested for infection in the UK as China warns of rapid spread

More than 50 people have now been tested for coronavirus in the UK amid fears of the fatal infection spreading.

Despite the number of tests rising, there are still no confirmed cases as all examinations were confirmed as negative, according to the Department of Health.

As on Sunday afternoon, 52 people across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland had been tested for the deadly flu-like virus.

Coronavirus is spreading faster than officials can handle it, China has admitted as it emerged the NHS is giving staff advice on how to disinfect dead bodies.

It comes after Ma Xiaowei, China's National Health Commission Minister, said the transmission ability of the deadly illness is strengthening but that authorities still know little about how to defeat it.

More than 2,000 people worldwide have been infected and the death tally has hit 56, with cases now recorded in Malaysia, Australia, Japan and France since the outbreak began in Wuhan, a city in Hubei province with 11 million people.

Mr Ma said the infectious incubation period for new strand of the virus can range from one to 14 days.

Public Health England has reportedly issued guidance to NHS hospitals warning that victims may be a “minor risk” even after they die as moving bodies on trollies may “expel small amounts of air from the lungs”.

The 11-page document orders staff to avoid examining suspected victims and confine them in closed rooms. “A body bag should be used for transferring the body and those handling the body at this point should use full PPE [personal protective equipment],” it adds.

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