The coronavirus’ lethality and infectivity has caused panic across the globe as experts attempt to understand the overall impact the disease will have. Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London warned the UK could see a death rate reach 400,000 people. He added the disease, first discovered in China Wuhan, could infect over 50 percent of the global population.

Professor Ferguson told Channel 4 News scientists do not yet have the most accurate mortality measurements as there is still much they do not know about the disease.

The Channel 4 host Matt Frei said: “Latest estimates suggest that 60 percent of the world’s entire population could contact COVID-19 if it’s not controlled.

“Do you think that the infection rate of 60 percent of the population, which has been suggested by some of your colleagues, is that realistic for Britain?”

Professor Ferguson replied: “Potentially, given we know a lot about how these sort of viruses spread, we have lots of data from past epidemics, influenza for example.

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“Given how transmissible this virus appears to be and the fact that at least all adults can be infected, then 60 percent is a reasonable figure for the epidemic size within the first 12 months or so.”

The professor admitted there was not much information about children and their susceptibility to the coronavirus.

He continued: “What we don’t know at the moment is of everybody infected, what proportion might die and what are the risk groups.

“Our best estimate at the moment is that maybe one percent of people who get infected might die.”

France has recorded 11 cases of the virus, out of a global total of 63,851.

Professor Ferguson addressed the growing fears in the UK and emphasised that there is still “so little” information on the virus.

However, he did admit that a prediction of 400,000 deaths in the UK was “not an absurd number” at this stage.

When asked if people were overreacting to the virus outbreak, Professor Ferguson insisted he would rather be accused of overreacting than under-reacting to a potential pandemic.