New York state confirmed its first positive coronavirus test, Governor Andrew Cuomo said, as the US government said it would start screening travellers for the virus and hike production of protective masks, Reuters reported.

Cuomo said on Twitter that a woman in her 30s contracted coronavirus during a recent trip to Iran and was in quarantine in her home. He did not say where the woman lived.

"The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York," Cuomo said.

At the federal level, President Donald Trump's administration scrambled on Sunday to reassure Americans as the disease spreads and businesses cancel conferences and flights.

Administration officials tried to calm market fears that the coronavirus could cause a global recession, saying the public had overreacted and that stocks would bounce back because of the underlying strength of the US economy.