(Yicai Global) Jan. 22 -- The new strand of coronavirus that has claimed nine lives in China to date originated from meat of wild animals sold illegally at a wet market in Wuhan, the director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said today.

Epidemiological studies show young people are less likely to catch the virus, Gao Fu said at a press briefing, adding that there is no evidence that there are any 'super-spreaders' of the disease, a label the World Health Organization assigns to a virus carrier who shares their illness with at least 10 others.

Some 440 cases of the virus have been reported to date, according to data from the health authorities.

Macao also unveiled its first case today, when the special administrative region's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre revealed that a 52-year-old woman who had visited Wuhan was diagnosed with the disease yesterday at Centro Hospitalar Conde de Sao Januario.

Editor: James Boynton