In Brief: US reports 3 new cases of the virus

WASHINGTON • Three more cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the United States, two in California and one in Arizona, bringing the country's total to five, according to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All three had recently been in Wuhan, the health officials said on Sunday. The three patients were all being kept in isolation.

Other cases have been found in Washington state and Chicago. The CDC has sent teams to each of the states to help trace and follow up on contacts of the infected patients.

NYTIMES

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Australia confirms fifth patient

MELBOURNE • Australia confirmed yesterday its fifth case of a new coronavirus, with health officials saying that the case involved a 21-year-old woman who was on the last flight out of the Chinese city of Wuhan to Sydney before China imposed a travel ban.

The woman travelled on a direct flight to Sydney from Wuhan, and developed symptoms within 24 hours and went to an emergency department, New South Wales chief health officer Kerry Chant told reporters.

REUTERS

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Macau hit by plunge in mainland visitors

HONG KONG • China's deadly virus outbreak is threatening the outlook for casino operators in the world's largest gambling hub.

The number of mainland Chinese visitors to Macau fell 80 per cent on Sunday, the third day of the Chinese New Year holiday, compared with the equivalent day during last year's break, according to the city's tourism office.

For the first three days of the holiday, arrivals were down 66 per cent.

BLOOMBERG

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S. Korea's latest case visited Wuhan

SEOUL • A 55-year-old South Korean man, who had visited Wuhan in central China, has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

He showed no symptoms of infection when he was screened at an airport upon his return to South Korea on Jan 20. The man received treatment at a medical facility on Jan 21 for cold symptoms. Last Saturday, he developed high fever and complained of aching muscles, and was put under close observation. He was diagnosed with pneumonia on Sunday. T

HE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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Indonesia urged to step up readiness

JAKARTA • Calls are mounting for Indonesia to escalate preparedness against the Wuhan coronavirus, even though the country has no confirmed cases as of Sunday, amid the spread of the pneumonia-like ailment that has sickened nearly 2,800 people across the world.

Amid the global outbreak, the government has remained calm, with Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto dismissing concerns over the virus' transmission within the country. He even called such information "a hoax".

THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK