Coronavirus comes to Europe: France confirms first two patients
- French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn has confirmed the country’s first two coronavirus cases
- The two individuals are the first to be sickened in Europe
- Since the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, it has spread to 11 countries around the world, now including France
- One patient is a 48-year-old man hospitalized in Bordeaux, who traveled through Wuhan
- The second patient is hospitalized in Paris, but no other details are available
- French officials warned they will ‘probably have more cases’
- A Chinese woman bragged on social media that she had covered up her coronavirus symptoms to sneak to France earlier this week
- It is unclear whether she is linked to the confirmed cases in France
France on Friday announced two cases of the deadly new virus from China, the first cases in Europe.
The two confirmed cases were announced by the health minister, Agnes Buzyn. She said that both of the sickened people had traveled to China.
The minister said she expects more cases. ‘We have two cases,’ she said. ‘We will probably have other cases.’
The minister said she believes that one reason why France is the first European country to have confirmed cases is that it has developed a test allowing medics to rapidly diagnose the sickened.
One of people sickened, a 48-year-old man, passed through Wuhan, the epicenter in China for the virus, before traveling to France on Wednesday, the minister said. That person is hospitalized in the southwestern city of Bordeaux.
The other person is hospitalized in Paris. The minister said that that person also traveled to China but that she has little other information about the case. It was confirmed shortly before she spoke at a news conference.