Turkey reports first case of new coronavirus

Medical personnel work inside one of the emergency structures that were set up to ease procedures at the hospital of Brescia, Northern Italy, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. (Claudio Furlan/LaPresse via AP)

Turkey has announced its first case of the new coronavirus.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said early Wednesday the case was a male patient who had returned from Europe. He would not provide more details on the patient, or say which country he had traveled to, citing the patient’s right to privacy.

Koca said the patient was isolated and his family members and other people who had come into contact with him had been quarantined.

“An early diagnosis was made. If there is an infection in the country, it is very limited,” the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted him as saying. “The coronavirus is not stronger than the measures we will take.”

More than half the countries in the world now have confirmed cases of the coronavirus, which for most people causes mild illness. In European countries, Italy is the hardest hit with more than 10,000 cases. France, Spain, and Germany have more than 1,000 each. The outbreak has also grown in the Middle East, with Iran the hardest hit at more than 8,000 cases.