Egypt confirms first case of coronavirus, Beijing orders 14-day quarantine for returnees
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Egypt confirmed its first case of coronavirus, making it the first known infection in Africa.
A joint statement from Egypt’s health and population ministries said the patient was not from Egypt. It did not say what nationality the person was or where they had been prior to arriving in Egypt.
The patient — who did not show any symptoms of being ill — has been quarantined in a hospital for treatment and monitoring, the statement said.
Authorities have notified the World Health Organization (WHO).
Until now, according to WHO information, no one on the continent had tested positive for the deadly virus, officially named COVID-19.
The development made Egypt the first country in the African continent to report a confirmed case, and the second in the Middle East region, after the United Arab Emirates late last month diagnosed its first cases.
Experts have raised concerns that countries with underdeveloped health systems — as can be found in Africa or Asia —would struggle to contain an outbreak.
More than 2,600 new cases were confirmed from a coronavirus outbreak in mainland China, health officials said on Saturday
Beijing has now ordered everyone returning to the city to go into quarantine for 14 days or risk punishment in the latest attempt to contain the deadly new coronavirus, state media report.
Residents were told to “self-quarantine or go to designated venues to quarantine” after returning to the Chinese capital from holidays.
The measure came as Egypt confirmed the first coronavirus case in Africa.
Over 1,500 people have died from the virus, which originated in Wuhan city.
The notice on Friday from Beijing’s virus prevention working group was issued as residents returned from spending the Lunar New Year in other parts of China.
The holiday was extended this year to help contain the outbreak.
