More than 1,000 people have died from the coronavirus worldwide with 109 people succumbing to the disease in China on Monday alone.
This is the first time that the daily death toll has exceeded 100, the majority of which occurred in the Hubei province where the virus first appeared in the city of Wuhan.
There were 2,478 new confirmed cases on the mainland, down from 3,062 the day before, with the total at 42,638.
A leading expert meanwhile says the virus could infect up to two thirds of the world's population.
Professor Gabriel Leung is Hong Kong's leading public health epidemiologist and his warning comes after the head of the World Health Organisation said recent cases of the virus in people who have never visited China could be the tip of the iceberg.
Around the world, 462 cases are confirmed in 27 countries, with one death in Hong Kong and one in the Philippines.
In Hong Kong, a block of flats was evacuated after two cases of the virus were diagnosed, raising suspicions it was spreading through plumbing.
Meanwhile, nearly 4,000 foreign nationals from around the world have been evacuated from Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic.
A total of 35 airlines have cancelled or suspended flights to China, or some Chinese cities.
