Mumbai, Feb 24 (IANS): The possibility of a coronavirus pandemic sent shock waves across global markets on Monday. Dow Jones Industrial Average lost over 800 points within minutes of its opening.

A sharp sell-off in US markets followed worries of further disruption in economic activity as coronavirus related deaths jumped sharply, particularly outside China.

The S&P 500 traded lower by 84.89 points, or 2.54 per cent, at 3,252.86 while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 287.27 points, or 3 Aper cent, to 9,289.32 at the opening bell.

Italy saw virus cases jumping exponentially from three on Friday morning to more than 150 by Sunday. Italy's spike now marks the biggest outbreak outside of Asia.

In China, the epicentre of the outbreak, the coronavirus related deaths jumped past 2,600. The deadly virus has infected more than 77,000 people in China and was described by President Xi Jinping as the "largest public health emergency since the founding of the country".

Earlier this month, Apple, the world's most valuable company, rang alarm bells on Coronavirus impact on its sales.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth also reportedly said that the company does not have enough parts from China to maintain its British production post two weeks.