New international coronavirus cases: Latest places affected, including UK, Dubai, Thailand and France

The deadly coronavirus  first emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019 and has since spread to other parts of the world including Europe, Australasia and Asia.

The flu-like strain is transmitted via droplets in coughs and sneezes and has so far killed 213 with almost 9,692 people infected.

Cases of coronavirus in the UK have been confirmed by Chief Medical Officer, Professor Chris Whitty.

Chinese authorities have put the province of Hubei, where Wuhan is located, on lockdown and public transport has been stopped.

Residents have been warned to stay in the city and not to gather in groups.

What is coronavirus and what are the symptoms?

Coronavirus comes from a family of viruses which give rise to a huge range of illnesses from the mild common cold to severe SARS and MERS.

It is thought to have originated from animals and traces of the disease were found at a live animal market in Wuhan which also sold poultry and seafood.

The contagious virus is airborne and spreads via droplets which can be transmitted via coughs and sneezes – this has led to lots of people in the region wearing facemasks.  

Initial symptoms of the infection include fever, cough, tightness of the chest, runny nose, headache and shortness of breath.

Later signs include chills and body aches.

Coronaviruses are named after the spikes that protrude from their membranes, like the sun’s corona.

Because SARS and MERS proved deadly, the emergence of a new coronavirus has been treated with caution.

Which places have reported cases of coronavirus so far?

The infection has rippled out from the epicentre in Wuhan, China and spread around the globe.

Confirmed cases of coronavirus have been identified in countries including Canada, France and Singapore.

Australia:

Nine cases have been confirmed in the country. 

The Australian Government’s Department of Health said two were detected in Queensland, three in Victoria and four in New South Wales.

Cambodia:

One case has been confirmed in the region.

The Chinese patient travelled from Wuhan to the coastal city of Sihanoukville.

Cambodia Health Minister, Mam Bunheng said the infected man came with his family earlier this month.

Canada:

Three cases have been confirmed in Canada.

Two of the infected people are a husband and wife in their 50s who recently travelled to Wuhan.

China:

The epicentre of the outbreak, there have been around 9,658 confirmed cases of the infection and 213 people have died.

The first person who contracted the illness –  patient zero – is thought to have picked it up at a live animal food market in Wuhan.

Virologists, medical doctors that oversee the diagnosis, management and prevention of infection, have identified that bats and snakes can carry the strain.

Dubai:

Four cases have been confirmed.

The Ministry of Health and Community Protection announced that the relatives travelled from Wuhan to the UAE and they are all Chinese.

They are said to be in a stable condition under medical observation.

France:

The country has six confirmed cases, French health authorities have confirmed..

The sixth person infected is a doctor who had treated an ill patient – the first person to contract the virus in France,

Germany:

Five cases have been identified in Germany after a Chinese colleague flew into the county for a training workshop.

The infected woman, who had not previously shown any symptoms, became ill as she flew home to Shanghai.

She tested positive for the virus and was recently visited by family members from Wuhan before the trip.

Hong Kong:

Twelve people have contracted the strain in the region, according to the latest figures from the press association.

In a bid to curb the spread of the deadly virus, Hong Kong announced it will deny entry to individual travellers from the mainland, dramatically expanding a ban that had previously applied only to visitors from Hubei province.

Japan:

Eleven  cases have been identified in Japan.

The government hired a charter plan to evacuate around 200 citizens from Wuhan and it landed on Wednesday, January 29.

Japanese authorities said that people who showed symptoms would be transferred directly to a hospital, while those who appeared healthy would be tested for the virus and then asked to quarantine themselves for two weeks

Macau:

Seven people in the world’s gambling capital of Macau had been infected with coronavirus.

Travellers arriving in Macau who had been in Hubei in the last two weeks must have medical documentation proving they aren’t infected, or they will be denied entry, the government said.

Malaysia:

Malaysia confirmed eight cases of the virus

Nepal:

One case has been confirmed in the area and the government said it is testing two more people for the infection.

Singapore:

Singapore has 10 cases.

Five of the  infection carriers travelled from Wuhan for the Lunar New Year holidays.

South Korea:

There are six confirmed cases in the region.

Among them a 55-year-old man who visited Wuhan tested positive for the strain.

He showed no symptoms of infection when he was screened at an airport upon his return to Korea on Jan 20.

But six days later he had a high fever and aching muscles and was diagnosed with the virus.

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka confirmed its first case of coronavirus on January 27.

The patient was identified as a 43-year-old Chinese woman from Hubei who had arrived in Sri Lanka as a tourist. She was admitted to the Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Taiwan:

Taiwan has uncovered nine cases including a woman who had visited Wuhan for work.

The island’s authorities have since advised against travel to the Hubei province and on January 24 said any arrivals from Wuhan would be rejected by immigration.

All arrivals from the rest of China – including Hong Kong and Macau – must fill out health declaration forms on arrival.

The territory has also banned the export of face masks for a month to ensure domestic supplies.

Thailand:

Thailand has detected 14 cases so far.

Sukhum Kanjanapimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary, said on Tuesday all six latest cases are Chinese tourists from the Hubei province who entered Thailand several days ago.

The infected include five members of the same family.

All six were taken to a hospital in Nonthaburi province.

US:

Six cases have been confirmed.​

Among them two were identified in California, and one was identified in Arizona, Chicago and Washington state.

Vietnam:

Five cases have been detected in the region.

This includes a man from Wuhan who travelled to Ho Chi Minh City earlier this month passed the virus to his son.

Both were being treated in hospital and are stable, Vietnamese health officials said.

Has it come to the UK?

Two people have been confirmed as having coronavirus in the UK.

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England, announced the infections this morning and detailed that the pair were members of the same family. 

He said: “We can confirm that two patients in England, who are members of the same family, have tested positive for coronavirus. The patients are receiving specialist NHS care, and we are using tried and tested infection control procedures to prevent further spread of the virus.