Brazil confirms first case of novel coronavirus

The Brazilian health authorities confirmed on Wednesday the country's first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Brazilian Health Minister Luiz Mandetta said at a press conference that a 61-year-old man had tested positive for COVID-19, which is also the first confirmed case in Latin America.

The patient arrived in Sao Paulo last week after traveling to France and Italy, where hundreds of confirmed cases and several deaths have been reported.

He is now in a stable condition under isolation at home, after being treated at the Albert Einstein Hospital, Mandetta said.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)