The Hubei Health Commission is holding a press conference with the latest updates on the novel coronavirus. More than 20 provincial-level jurisdictions, including in Beijing and Shanghai, have launched a "Level One" public health emergency response, the highest of its kind.

The pneumonia outbreak started in Wuhan City, central China's Hubei Province, in December 2019. Health experts say that human-to-human transmission of the coronavirus strain has been confirmed.