China today reported a sharp rise in the number of people affected in a pneumonia outbreak caused by a new coronavirus, including the first cases in the capital.

The outbreak started in the central city of Wuhan.

Authorities and media reports said the total number of infected people has topped 200.

Two of the new cases were reported in Beijing and another in Shenzhen.

Many of China’s 1.4 billion people will be travelling abroad during the Lunar New Year holidays next week, raising concerns about the disease spreading to other countries.