Zhuhai authorities have announced that three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus strain were reported in the city.
The three people infected are from the same family, namely a 78-year old man, his 76-year-old wife, and their 49-year-old daughter.
According to Chinese media reports, the parents took the high-speed rail from Wuhan to their daughter’s house on January 11, with the father going to a clinic on January 15 after feeling unwell.
This case was reported as a suspected case of pneumonia with the new coronavirus infection on January 17 and transferred to the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University for quarantine and treatment.
The mother and daughter later developed a fever and other symptoms and on January 18 were transferred to medical observation.
The three patients were said to now be in stable condition and under observation.
Chinese authorities have reported 139 new cases of the new strain of coronavirus over the weekend, tripling the total number of infected patients since the virus was first detected last month in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province. However, these were the first reported cases in Zhuhai.
There have been confirmed cases so far in Macau but with local authorities accounting for only 13 suspected cases that are being “the target of investigation and screening”.
Macau authorities also announced today that they will strengthen prevention against a new type of pneumonia originating in China, on the same day that a sharp increase in the number of people infected with the virus was reported.
Today the first case of the new virus South Korea was reported, and the Chinese authorities revealed a third death and a sharp increase in the number of people infected with this new type of pneumonia.
Cases have also been confirmed in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong.
The outbreak coincides with the busiest travel period in China, as millions of people travel at this time during the Chinese New Year holidays, with Zhuhai authorities stating more movements and the risk of new cases of coronavirus infection entering will continue to increase.
However, Zhuhai and Macau authorities have announced a strengthening of preventive health safety measures for this period, including individual temperature checks at the border.
Macau is also currently in alert level 3, a medium degree of risk that requires closer monitoring.
