In Brief
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Iceland confirms first case
REYKJAVIK • Iceland has confirmed that the new coronavirus has reached the sub-Arctic island after a man in his 40s, who had recently returned from a trip to northern Italy, tested positive for Covid-19.
The man was placed in isolation at the National University Hospital of Iceland, after a test confirmed the infection, Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said in a statement on Friday.
There are now more than 1,000people infected in Europe, with the bulk coming from Italy, where nearly 900 cases have been found.
At least 23 people have died from the disease on the continent.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Fourth case of unknown origin in US
LOS ANGELES • US health officials on Friday reported a fourth case of the coronavirus of unknown origin, indicating the disease was spreading in the country, where more than 60 people have caught the virus.
The latest case is a boy under 18 in Washington state who tested "presumptive positive", the local authorities said.
In neighbouring Oregon, the authorities said on Friday that an adult who had had contact with people at an elementary school had been hospitalised and was also considered "presumptive positive". Earlier the same day, California said a woman was confirmed to be infected with unknown origin - the second such case in the northern part of the state.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
S. Korea sees biggest daily spike
SEOUL • South Korea urged citizens yesterday to stay indoors as it warned of a "critical moment" in its battle against the coronavirus after recording the biggest daily jump in infections, as 813 new cases took the tally to 3,150.
As many as 657 of the new cases were from south-eastern Daegu city, the site of a church at the centre of the outbreak, and 79 from the nearby province of North Gyeongsang.
The health authorities have run tests on more than 210,000 members and 65,000 trainees of the church linked to a majority of cases after a 61-year-old woman known as "Patient 31" attended religious services there before testing positive. More than 88 per cent have been checked, and about 3,300 have shown symptoms such as fever.
REUTERS
Nine more deaths in Iran
TEHERAN • Iran's health ministry yesterday reported nine new deaths and a 53 per cent jump in Covid-19 infection over the previous 24 hours, taking the overall total to 43 deaths and 593 cases, the highest number of new cases for a single day since Iran announced its first two deaths in Qom on Feb 19.
Iran also dismissed as "rumours" a BBC Persian report that the virus has killed more than 200 people in the country, one of the hardest hit by the disease, with senior officials among those infected.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
