Videos show apparent Wuhan coronavirus patients being transported in small boxes and plastic tubes to stop the deadly disease from spreading further

• Videos show people in large, metal boxes and plastic tubes as China tries to contain the Wuhan coronavirus that has killed at least 17 people.
• Radio Free Asia shared a video of what it said was a patient being taken out of an ambulance in a large, plastic tube. Another video shows an apparent patient being transported in an airport in a large box.
• China is trying to stop the spread of the virus that has infected more than 570 people, and is quarantining people as well as closing off the entire city of Wuhan, where the virus originated.
• The virus has also spread to other countries, who have already quarantined people and say they will do the same to anyone who shows the symptoms.
• A patient in the US is kept in a small, 20-foot-by-20-foot bio containment room, and treated by a robot with a stethoscope to limit doctors' contact with the virus.
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Videos show people infected, or suspected to be infected, with the mysterious Wuhan coronavirus sealed in a large metal box and a plastic tube to try and avoid spreading the infection.

Radio Free Asia shared a video of what it said was a patient who had been infected with the virus in Huizhou, a city in the southern Guangdong province, being taken out of an ambulance in a large plastic tube by medical staff wearing protective layers.

The virus originated in the central city of Wuhan, but has spread to other areas of China, including Guangdong province. There were 26 confirmed cases in the province as of Wednesday morning, and more than 570 across China as well as cases in Japan, Taiwan, the US, South Korea, and Thailand.

Authorities say the virus, officially known as 2019-nCoV, can spread from person to person, and has infected medical staff treating patients.

A separate video tweeted by Xie Qing, a social media manager and journalist based in Hong Kong, shows someone being transported in a large metal box through an airport. Business Insider has not been able to verify the video, and has contacted her.

People around the world are quarantined in 20-foot rooms and holiday camps

People who are confirmed as infected, or who show symptoms after having been to Wuhan recently, are also being held in quarantine around the world.

One person has been confirmed as infected in the US, in Washington. Authorities have not yet released the patient's full identity, but has described him as a man in his 30s.

Dr. George Diaz, head of the infectious disease program at Providence Regional Medical Center where the patient is being treated, told The Guardian that he is being kept in a small, 20-foot-by-20-foot bio containment room.

The patient is also being treated by a robot with a stethoscope to limit doctors' contact with the virus, Diaz told The Guardian.

While the patient's condition remains unknown, the hospital said he may be released soon, according to Reuters.

Officials in the US said they are monitoring around 16 people who had close contact with the patient, but none have shown symptoms yet, Reuters reported.

Hong Kong, where one case has been confirmed, says it has converted holiday camps into quarantine zones to house people who may have been in contact with someone infected.

An unprecedented quarantine

The city of Wuhan was cut off from the rest of the world on Wednesday morning, as authorities close transport options and told people not to enter or leave the city without a good reason.

Wearing a mask in the city is also now mandatory.

Not a lot is known about the virus, which has not previously been seen by humans. Authorities warn that it is mutating even as experts study it and try to design a treatment, which makes it harder to control.

Many airports around the world are ramping up their health screening around the world, and say they are prepared to transport anyone showing symptoms to quarantine zones.

• Read more about the Wuhan coronavirus:
• Wuhan, China, is cut off from the outside world in an unprecedented quarantine
• Here's everything we know about the outbreak.
• 2 dramatic charts show the rapid spread of the virus within and outside China
• The outbreaks of both the Wuhan coronavirus and SARS started in Chinese wet markets. Photos show what the markets look like.
• Wuhan is about to be quarantined as the coronavirus outbreak grows. The city has 3 million more residents than New York City.
• Here's how airports around the world are trying to stop it.