10.59 million people tested for coronavirus in Wuhan: Official

China's Wuhan city - the epicentre of the deadly coronavirus outbreak, has carried out tests on 10.59 million people, almost 99 per cent of its population, and for the remaining others it would be completed by Tuesday, a ruling Communist Party of China official said on Monday.

So far 10.59 million people of about 11 million population have been tested, the city's Party secretary Ma Guoqiang was quoted as saying by state-run People's Daily.

As of afternoon on Monday, 1,499 confirmed patients in critical condition who were not admitted for treatment before February 8 have now been hospitalised, Ma said.

"Though we've made every effort on accelerating the virus tests, we still have not completed the tests for all suspected patients so far, and we are trying to achieve that by tomorrow," Ma said.

The tests of the Wuhan population are regarded as crucial as the majority of the 909 deaths are from the city and Hubei province.

Earlier, the Mayor of the city said five million people left the city to travel within China and abroad before the New Year holiday on January 24.

China is trying to trace all the people from Wuhan in a bid to contain the virus which is growing in its virulence spreading within China and abroad.