Sophia Chan, secretary for food and health of the HKSAR government says the first highly-suspected case of novel coronavirus pneumonia is confirmed in Hong Kong on Jan. 22, 2020. (Xinhua/Lui Siu Wai)
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Wednesday confirmed the first highly-suspected case of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Hong Kong.
The clinical specimen of a man arriving in Hong Kong Tuesday evening was tested positive for the novel coronavirus, Sophia Chan, secretary for food and health of the HKSAR government, said at a press conference.
A further test was underway, the result of which will come out on Thursday.
The man was in stable condition.
The man, 39, presented with fever and cough at the high-speed railway station in Hong Kong. He was first put under isolation in Queen Elizabeth Hospital and then sent to the infectious disease center of Princess Margaret Hospital.
The man lives in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, where the current outbreak is concentrated. But he has neither been to the seafood market, the suspected origin of the novel coronavirus, nor gotten in touch with pneumonia patients.
During his trip to Hong Kong, the man was accompanied by four family members, who, presenting no symptoms, flew to Manila, the Philippines on Wednesday after staying for a night in Hong Kong.
The Department of Health of the HKSAR government is working with the Hospital Authority to track close contacts of the man.
Hong Kong authorities will update the public on the case every day since Thursday, and the HKSAR government will discuss further measures on Thursday to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
By Tuesday noon, 118 suspected cases of the coronavirus were reported in Hong Kong, and of all, 88 patients had been discharged, official data showed.
