NICOSIA, March 10. /TASS/. The authorities of the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus have reported the first coronavirus case, republic’s Bayrak Radio Television Corporation reported on Tuesday.
The infected person is a 65-year-old German tourist who arrived as part of a group of 30 people, and stayed at a hotel in the area of Famagusta city. Late on Monday, she was hospitalized with fever and quarantined. The tourists who arrived together with her are also in quarantine, having been isolated at a hotel.
The official Nicosia reported the first cases of the novel coronavirus on Monday. At an emergency cabinet session of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the decision was taken to increase the number of beds for putting the ill persons on quarantine, to double the numerical strength of the medical personnel at the points of crossing into the Greek part of the island, as well as at the sea ports in the norther part of Cyprus and at the Turkish-Cypriot Ercan Airport. The cabinet also ruled to establish an anti-crisis committee that will apply additional measures of anti-virus control if an epidemic breaks out.
The incident with the German tourist is a third coronavirus case in Cyrus that until Monday remained the last EU country to be virus-free. Cyprus’s Minister of Health Constantinos Ioannou reported on Monday about two first cases of the novel coronavirus, in which two Cypriots arriving from Italy and the UK were infected. One of them is a surgeon who was treating patients for several days after his return from the trip. As many as 150 people have been tested for coronavirus at the cardiac wing of the hospital in Nicosia where he works. The clinic won’t be receiving any patients or visitors in the next two days, while the emergency department will keep operating in the routine mode.
A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center, in late December 2019. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. More than 100 countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.
Over 3,100 people have died in China, which accounts for the majority of novel coronavirus cases, more than 59,900 patients have recovered, while the total number of infected people stands at 80,700.
According to the World Health Organization, over 110,000 have been infected globally, slightly more than 3,800 patients have died.