Hong Kong on higher alert against Novel Coronavirus

Two deaths in France suggest human-to-human transmission.

Hospitals and doctors in the city are on increased alert after the World Health Organization confirmed that the feared Novel Coronavirus is capable of human-to-human transmission.

Centre for Health Protection controller Leung Ting-hung said medical staff must keep an eye on patients' health as they may not exhibit discernible respiratory symptoms in the early stages of infection with the Novel Coronavirus.

The Department of Health center has issued alert letters for health professionals in Hong Kong and will keep on notifying doctors once it gets hold of more information from WHO.

It will also step up preventive measures to control the spread of the virus from any suspicious cases.

Leung said the Novel Coronavirus has killed 20 people since being identified last year. Of 34 confirmed cases reported to WHO, most have been in the Middle East.

Leung believes human-to-human infection is happening on a relatively small scale within some isolated medical facilities. This comes after France confirmed a second case of the virus in a man who shared a hospital room with a 65-year-old man who is in intensive care in Lille.

Most of those infected since the virus was identified in September had traveled to Qatar, Saudi Arabia or Jordan.