First case of coronavirus found in Saudi Arabia

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - A new type of coronavirus was detected in a Indian nurse who worked at a hospital in southwest Saudi Arabia, India's minister of state for external affairs announced Thursday.

"About 100 Indian nurses mostly from Kerala working at Al-Hayat hospital have been tested and none except one nurse was found infected by Corona virus," Shri Muraleedharan said on Twitter.

The nurse from India’s southernmost state, who had been quarantined at the hospital, is being treated at Aseer National Hospital and is recovering well, he added.

In China, 571 people were infected with a new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and 17 people have died. It is similar to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).

The virus with pneumonia-like symptoms has spread to major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Singapore and the U.S. have also confirmed cases of the virus while Australia is testing one person for it.

North Korea has temporarily closed its borders with China as a precaution following the outbreak, according to Yonhap news agency.

The World Health Organization postponed a decision to declare the virus a global health emergency, saying physicians needed more information.