AKIPRESS.COM - China says 106 people have died from the new coronavirus and the cases of newly infected have almost doubled, BBC reports.

The number of total confirmed cases in China rose to 4,515 as of 27 January, up from 2,835 a day earlier.

The country has meanwhile further tightened travel restrictions to try and curb the spread of the virus.

The city of Wuhan, thought to be the epicentre of it, is already in effective lockdown as is much of surrounding Hubei province.

The coronavirus causes severe acute respiratory infection and there is no specific cure or vaccine.

Most of the deaths have been of elderly people or those with pre-existing respiratory problems.