Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has said that the “onslaught” of coronavirus infections in the global financial hub has dealt a heavy blow and overwhelmed its capacity to deal with the epidemic as daily cases surge to record highs.

Daily infections have multiplied 13 times over the past two weeks, from about 100 cases at the start of February to over 1,300 on Feb 13, with authorities scrambling to control the deepening outbreak, Reuters reported.

Lam said her government would coordinate with Chinese officials to tackle the “aggravating situation” after China said it would help the city with testing, treatment and quarantine.