Coronavirus outbreak: China accuses US of spreading panic

The United States has created and spread panic following the outbreak of the coronavirus infection in China, but failed to provide any substantial help to Beijing to contain the virus, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying expressed hope that the global community will make reasonable, calm, and science-based judgements and responses to the situation.

"Most countries have said that they appreciate and support China's efforts in the fight against the new type of coronavirus and we understand and respect their [decision] to impose a quarantine on the border or introduce required measures regarding entry for Chinese citizens," Hua Chunying told a briefing.

The new strain of coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, in December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. On Sunday, the first death outside of China was reported in the Philippines, where a 44-year-old man, a Wuhan resident, died.

Some 361 people have succumbed to the new coronavirus since its outbreak in December in Wuhan. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared a global health emergency as the virus has been spreading further with cases of the infection being reported from several countries across the globe.