Italy Confirms Fourth Case Of Novel Coronavirus - Local Authorities

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) A fourth case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in Italy, namely in the northern province of Lombardy, Lombardy Regional Council member for Welfare Giulio Gallera, told reporters on Friday.

The infected person is reportedly an Italian man in his 30s who has never traveled to China or had recent physical contact with Chinese citizens.

"The man is in the intensive care unit at a hospital in [the city of] Codogno. The Lazzaro Spallanzani National Institute for Infectious Diseases in Rome is currently undergoing repeated tests," Gallera said.

According to the official, the authorities are currently trying to identify all of the citizens who have recently had contact with the infected man to run tests. Gallera also said that he would hold a special press conference later on Friday to discuss all the details related to the case.

The two first cases of the deadly virus were detected in the country in two Chinese tourists in late January, which prompted Italy to suspend flights to and from China. The third case, an Italian national who returned to the country from China's city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the deadly novel coronavirus, was confirmed earlier in February.

The novel coronavirus disease, dubbed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), was first detected in the city of Wuhan, located in China's Hubei Province, in late December and has since spread to more than 25 other countries. The outbreak has already left over 76,000 people infected worldwide and resulted in more than 2,200 deaths.