First coronavirus death reported in Hong Kong

It's the second death outside of mainland China. Photo credit: AAP
It's the second death outside of mainland China. Photo credit: AAP

A 39-year-old man who visited Wuhan, China in January died in Hong Kong on Tuesday, marking the city's first coronavirus death.

The man was reported to be suffering from an underlying illness.

The news came as hundreds of Hong Kong medical workers continued their second day of strikes protesting that the government close the city's borders with mainland China.

Three cross-border checkpoints with the mainland remain open after six were closed last week.

Hong Kong has reported 15 cases of the virus to date, including one transmitted locally.

Today's coronavirus death in Hong Kong marks the second outside mainland China after a Chinese man who had travelled from Wuhan passed away in the Philippines on Sunday.

Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province, is the epicentre of the coronavirus.

China's death toll rose to 420 today with 20,438 people reported to be infected with the virus.

More than 150 cases of the virus have been confirmed outside of China in countries including Australia, Japan and the US.