The death toll for the coronavirus virus passed 1,000 on Tuesday, February 11 morning as fears grow that China is struggling to control the deadly outbreak, The Telegraph reports.

On the deadliest day of the virus, the number of new deaths passed 100 for the first time on Monday, defying claims from experts in China that the virus was killing at a slower rate.

In Britain, panic set in following as the number of coronavirus cases in the UK doubled within 24 hours. Police have been granted special powers to force infected patients into quarantine.

Thailand has recorded one new case of coronavirus, bringing the total in the country to 33 since January, a health ministry official said on Tuesday.

The two most senior health officials at the epicentre of China's deadly virus outbreak have been sacked, state media said this morning, as pressure mounts over the way local authorities have handled the epidemic.