BUCHAREST, Romania (AFP) — Romania reported its first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus on Wednesday — a man who was in contact with an Italian who visited the country last week. “The patient, who is in good health and is showing no symptoms, will be transferred to Bucharest’s hospital of infectious diseases,” Health Minister Victor Costache told a press conference. Seven other people who live at the same address as the man in the […]
Europe
‘Emotional epidemic’: Coronavirus fear takes mental toll in Italy
by Cécile FEUILLATRE MILAN, Italy (AFP) — The sweeping measures taken in northern Italy to try to contain Europe’s worst outbreak of the novel coronavirus is starting to take more than just a physical toll, with mental health professionals reporting some residents falling victim to anxiety. As 50,000 people stay in lockdown in infection hotspots and tens of millions are affected by the closure of schools and other institutions, psychologists and psychiatrists say there have […]
No reason to panic about coronavirus in Europe: EU
ROME, Italy (AFP) — The novel coronavirus is concerning for Europe but there is no reason for alarm, the EU’s health commissioner said on Wednesday as Italy battles the world’s third-biggest outbreak. “This is a situation of concern but we must not give in to panic,” Stella Kyriakides told reporters in Rome after meeting Italian Health Minister Roberto Speranza. “In the EU we are still in containment phase, it is important to underline this,” she […]
Greece reports first coronavirus case in traveller from Italy
ATHENS, Greece (AFP) — Greece on Wednesday reported its first coronavirus case, a woman who had recently traveled to northern Italy. A health ministry spokesman said the 38-year-old woman was in a Thessaloniki hospital and in good condition. “She is in good health and being monitored by a team of excellent colleagues in Thessaloniki,” said the ministry’s spokesman Sotiris Tsiodras, a leading expert on infectious diseases. “Her contacts are being tracked. Close contacts will be […]
Coronavirus cases emerging faster outside China: WHO
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — There are now more new cases of the coronavirus reported each day outside China than inside the hardest-hit country, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday. “Yesterday, the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number of new cases in China for the first time,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told diplomats in Geneva, according to a written version of his speech. The UN health agency put the number […]
Down Syndrome no obstacle for aspiring French politician
by Antoine POLLEZ ARRAS, France (AFP) — When the mayor of Arras, a town in northern France, asked her to stand as a candidate in upcoming municipal elections, Eleonore Laloux, who has Down Syndrome, did not hesitate. “I would like Arras to change, for there to be improvements… mainly with regard to cleanliness and respect, but also accessibility” for disabled people, the 34-year-old administrative agent and activist told AFP. “I am ready to make this […]
UPDATED: France reports first French death from coronavirus
PARIS, France (AFP) — A 60-year-old man has become the first French victim of the coronavirus in the country, the health ministry announced Wednesday. The man died overnight after being rushed to a Paris hospital in serious condition on Tuesday evening, bringing the death toll in the country to two, said the ministry’s deputy head Jerome Salomon. The first victim was an 80-year-old Chinese tourist, who died in hospital in mid-February. France has reported four […]
China quarantines 94 people on Seoul flight after 3 show fever
BEIJING, China (AFP) — China quarantined 94 air passengers arriving from Seoul after three people on the flight were discovered to have fevers, state media reported Wednesday. The three passengers, all Chinese, arrived in the city of Nanjing on Tuesday morning and were discovered after customs personnel boarded the aircraft on the landing to screen passengers for symptoms, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said. The three were immediately sent by ambulance to a hospital for isolation […]
Croatia reports first confirmed coronavirus case in Balkans
by Lajla VESELICA ZAGREB, Croatia (AFP) — Croatia reported the first known case of the new coronavirus in the Balkans region on Tuesday after a man who recently returned from Italy was found to be infected. The announcement comes as Italy battles an outbreak of the virus, named COVID-19, with infections surging to nearly 300 in a matter of days, making it the hardest-hit country in Europe. “It has been confirmed that the first patient […]
Switzerland reports first case of new coronavirus
GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — Switzerland reported its first case of new coronavirus on Tuesday after outbreaks were identified in its main neighbors Austria, France, Germany, and Italy. The case is a man in his 70s who was infected near Milan where he attended an event on February 15, federal health office chief Pascal Strupler told reporters. The man is from the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino on the border with Italy and has been with his […]
Virus spreads to new countries as top official warns world ‘not ready’
by Dario THUBURN with Laurent THOMET in Beijing GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The coronavirus epidemic caused more death and disruption on Tuesday, spreading to new countries as a top health official warned the world was “simply not ready” to contain it. Even as the number of fresh cases declines at the epicenter of the disease in China, there has been a sudden increase in parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. Entire towns and […]
Austria reports first two coronavirus cases after Italy outbreak
VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Two people in Austria have tested positive for the new coronavirus, authorities said Tuesday, marking the country’s first cases after an outbreak in northern Italy. The two 24-year-olds have been quarantined in a hospital in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol province, which borders Italy, according to Tyrol Governor Guenther Platter. One of them is from Lombardy, one of the Italian regions hit with the outbreak, but it is not yet […]
