Earlier in the day, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte confirmed the first two cases of the new strain of the virus in his country.

"Spallanzani hospitalized 12 other patients with similar symptoms from other regions of China. They are being tested for coronavirus," Nicastri said at a press conference in Rome.

According to the doctor, 20 people who may have been in contact with the two Chinese nationals who were previously confirmed as being infected with the disease are currently under observation in the hospital.

The outbreak began in late December in the central Chinese province of Hubei.

Its capital, Wuhan, has since been quarantined along with several other cities that China's authorities deem as hotbeds of infection.

Other nations are arranging charter flights to evacuate their nationals, and the number of those that limit arrivals from China continues to grow.

The current toll of lethal cases stands at 213 — all in China — and over 9,800 people have been infected in the Asian country.