Cambodia confirms first case of novel coronavirus: health minister

PHNOM PENH - A Chinese man from the central Chinese city of Wuhan was confirmed as the first person in Cambodia infected with the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bunheng announced at a press conference here on Monday evening.

He said the Chinese man, 60, was tested positive for the virus by the Pasteur Institute in Cambodia on Monday afternoon.

"The patient is currently in a stable condition, and he has cold only," Bunheng said.

According to the minister, the patient, along with his three family members, arrived in southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province on Jan 23 by a direct flight from Wuhan to Preah Sihanouk province and he showed the symptoms of fever and runny nose on Jan 25.

Bunheng said the patient's three family members have not showed any symptoms of the novel coronavirus yet and doctors are closely monitoring their health situation.

He said the patient was placed in a quarantine room at the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Hospital.

The novel coronavirus is mainly transmitted via the respiratory tract and can be transmitted through human contact, Bunheng said, adding that symptoms of the disease include high body temperature (above 38 Celsius), runny nose, sore throat and shortness of breath.

Pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus was first reported in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. Chinese health authorities announced Monday that 2,744 confirmed cases of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), including 461 in critical condition, had been reported in the country by the end of Sunday. The pneumonia situation has resulted in a total of 80 deaths. Fifty-one people have recovered.