First European cases of coronavirus Abroad

Also follow the updates from our correspondent in China at the bottom of this article.

Two cases of infection have been identified: one patient in the capital Paris and one in the southwestern city of Bordeaux. As far as we know, these are the first cases in Europe. Five people in Scotland are being examined for the virus; they are monitored daily.

The two are admitted to the hospital. The 48-year-old patient in Bordeaux was recently in Wuhan, China, where the first virus infections were discovered. No details have been released about the patient in Paris, reports the French newspaper Le Parisien.

“Control the epidemic”

According to Minister Buzyn, there is a good chance that more infections will appear in France. “We will do everything we can to control this epidemic,” the minister said at a press conference. But according to her, it is impossible to close the borders at this time.

The virus has claimed 26 lives in China. At least 880 people have been infected, mainly in China, but also in Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam, among others. The virus seems to affect the elderly in particular.