UAE Announces 1st Case of New Coronavirus

Gulf

January 29th, 8:23am

Asharq Al-Awsat

A traveller wears a mask at the Dubai International Airport, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Christopher Pike

A family in the United Arab Emirates, arriving from China's central city of Wuhan, has been diagnosed with a case of the new coronavirus, the Health and Prevention Ministry said on Wednesday. Those diagnosed with the virus were in “stable condition and under medical observation,” the ministry said in a statement carried by state news agency WAM. This is the first confirmed case in the Middle East. Major UAE airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi last week said passengers arriving from China would be screened on arrival, a precaution taken by airports elsewhere. Wuhan is the epicenter of the outbreak of the coronavirus that causes flu-like symptoms such as cough and fever and in severe cases pneumonia. Emirati officials are taking "all the necessary precautions in accordance with the scientific recommendations, conditions and standards approved by the World Health Organization," the ministry said Wednesday. “The general health condition is not a cause for concern." UAE’s health system "works very efficiently,” it said, adding "the ministry is closely following the situation in a way that guarantees the health and safety of everyone."

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2104851/uae-announces-1st-case-new-coronavirus