Israel reports first coronavirus case

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel on Friday confirmed its first coronavirus case, the Israel Broadcasting Authority said.

The case was confirmed in "a woman who was returned with ten other citizens from the [Diamond Princess] cruise ship, off Japan's coast," the authority said.

Medical examination showed that another 10 citizens who returned home with the infected woman were clear of the coronavirus. All of the returnees have been subject to medical quarantine.

Eleven people returned to Israel Friday morning, after spending days on the cruise ship off the coast of Japan.

The Israelis and the rest of the ship's passengers were quarantined, where four Israelis tested positive for the virus, and were taken to a hospital in Japan for treatment.

On Friday, Chinese authorities announced that the death toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak reached 2,238.

The country's National Health Commission said there are 75,465 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, now known as COVID-19.

More than 18,260 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the illness.

Coronavirus has spread to more than 25 other countries including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.