In the Czech Republic, three people are infected with the new coronavirus. Two are located in Na Bulovce Hospital in Prague, one in Ústí nad Labem.
A fourth person, a woman, is still undergoing tests.
The Minister of Health Adam Vojtěch (ANO) confirmed this to CT24 in a press briefing.
“We ask everyone to very seriously consider not traveling to those (affected) regions for holiday or ski trips unless necessary, because the danger exists,” Vojtech told a televised news briefing.
All patients are isolated in infectious wards. According to the minister, the course of the disease is not serious.
The first case at hospital Na Bulovce is a Czech man, born in 1952, who stayed at the Italian University in Udine, where he attended a conference.
The second registered case is a woman from the United States of America, born in 1999, studying in Milan.
“She arrived in Prague as a tourist. Later, her condition deteriorated, and she was first examined in Motol. She was treated as potentially infectious, all medical staff had protective equipment, so the risk of infection in the hospital was minimized. Afterward, she was moved from Motol to Na Bulovce Hospital,” added the Minister.
The third one is in Masaryk Hospital in Usti nad Labem, is a Czech man, born in 1976, who was on a ski holiday in Italy in the northern part of Veneto region.
It is not yet clear how many other people that the three came into contact with will be quarantined. None of the patients are reported to be in serious condition.
Vojtěch added that these are individual cases. Thus, the Czech Republic will not take any quarantine measures due to these first three cases.
Česká republika má první tři potvrzené případy nákazy COVID-19 způsobené novým typem koronaviru. Dva pacienti s pozitivními testy jsou v pražské Nemocnici Na Bulovce, třetí je v Ústí nad Labem v tamní Masarykově nemocnici.
— Ministerstvo zdravotnictví (@ZdravkoOnline) March 1, 2020
LIVE UPDATES
22.34
The American woman came with an Ecuadorean friend of the same age who had similar symptoms but has tested negative in initials checks, said Vojtech. She would undergo a new test, probably on Monday, he added.
21.35
The first person in Scotland has tested positive for Coronavirus. The announcement brings the number of cases confirmed in the UK today alone to 13, and the total number of cases up to 36.
21.28
PM Babis thinks that it would be good for teachers to ask children at school on Monday, whether they recently spent their holidays in Italy.
20.36
According to Reuters, organisers have said that a conference on the world economy due to take in Italy later this month with Pope Francis taking part has been postponed until November because of the outbreak.
20.08
“We will ask the State Security Council if it is necessary to cancel large-scale events, for example the upcoming Biathlon World Cup in Nové Město na Moravě,” said Prime Minister Babis said.
19.54
The number of cases in France has increased to 130, the head of the public health service has said. The figure stood at 100 on Saturday.
19.27
The patient from Ústí nad Labem will be transported by a special ambulance from the Masaryk Hospital to the Bulovka Hospital in Prague.
19.26
PM Andrej Babis told ČT that he will request stopping flights from Milan and Venice.
19.07
The number of coronavirus cases in Germany has risen sharply; official data shows infections have reached 129, compared with 66 on Saturday. More than half are in North Rhine-Westphalia.
19.01
The number of countries hit by the coronavirus climbed past 60 Sunday. More than 87,000 people worldwide have been infected, and nearly 3,000 have died.
18.25
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by five to 34 over the past 24 hours, the Civil Protection Agency said on Sunday, with the accumulative number of cases totalling some 1,694.
18:07
“They do not have fever, and they do not need oxygen therapy. The two patients at Bulovka Hospital showed mild symptoms and airway inflammation,” said Hana Roháčová, Chief Officer for Therapeutic and Preventive Care.
18:05
Health Minister Adam Vojtěch said that the results from a laboratory in Berlin, where the samples were sent for a second test, should be ready no later than Monday.
Support Prague Morning!
We are proud to provide our readers from around the world with independent, and unbiased news for free.
Our dedicated team supports the local community, foreign residents and visitors of all nationalities through our website, social media and newsletter.
We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to, we ask you to support Prague Morning by making a contribution – no matter how small 🙂 .