WATCH- Coronavirus detected on doorknob in China's Guangzhou

The novel coronavirus that already is the cause behind at least 425 lives has reached doorknob of a house as well.

In a new development, medical personnel in south China's Guangzhou has recently detected the nucleic acid of the deadly virus on the doorknob of the house of a patient who was diagnosed with the disease, as per the Disease Control and Prevention Center in Guangzhou.

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This is the first incident when the virus is discovered in an external environment in Guangzhou.

Deng Huiming, director of the Guangdong Provincial Disease Control and Prevention Center, said the object testing positive for nucleic acid showed that the surface has been contaminated with the coronavirus. The research on whether it's a live virus or virus fragment is underway.

The center said that while carrying out epidemiological investigation on patients, they will probe the patients' recent life and their contacts. The researchers will also take samples of other items prone to contamination, including mobile phones, keyboards and faucet handles.

Earlier on Tuesday, the death toll in China's coronavirus reached 425, with at least 64 new deaths and over 20,000 infected. Most of the deaths and the infection are based in central Hubei province, the epicentre of the virus.

(with Reuters inputs)