Greece confirms first case of new coronavirus
A 38-year-old Greek woman who recently returned from a visit to northern Italy has tested positive for new coronavirus, a briefing at Greece’s Health Ministry on February 26 was told.
Professor Sotiris Tsiodras, spokesperson for the Greek Health Ministry, said that woman was in good health.
She was being monitored by a medical team in Thessaloniki.
People with whom she had been in contact were being traced. People who had been in close contact would be asked to go into voluntary isolation while their health was monitored.
Tsiodras emphasised the need for everyone to comply with the rules of hygiene, including regular hand-washing and covering the mouth when coughing.
People returning from affected areas in northern Italy should monitor their health, and in the event of persistent symptoms, should contact their doctor or the national public health agency.
The World Health Organization European Region, in an update as of 10am Eastern European Time on February 26, said that 13 European countries had reported confirmed Covid-19 cases.
“Austria, Croatia, and Switzerland detected their first case(s) in the past 24 hours,” WHO European Region said.
The organisation said that the list of confirmed cases was Italy 322, Germany 19, France 15, UK 13, Spain three, Austria two, Croatia two, Israel two, Russia two, Belgium one, Finland one, Sweden one and Switzerland one.
