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Brazil confirms first coronavirus case in Latin America: Source
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Illustration of coronavirus test (Shutterstock/SamaraHeisz5)
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Brazilian government test has confirmed the first case of a fast-spreading new coronavirus in Latin America, a source said on Wednesday, after a Sao Paulo hospital flagged the possible infection of a 61-year-old who had visited Italy.
Brazil's Health Ministry declined to comment on the result of the test ahead of a news conference at 11 a.m. local time. The person familiar with the matter spoke on the condition of anonymity because the results were not yet public.
The ministry said in a statement on Tuesday evening that it was looking into the case of a Sao Paulo resident who had traveled to Lombardy, in northern Italy, from Feb. 9 to Feb. 21 and had symptoms compatible with the disease.
The Albert Einstein Hospital said in a statement that the man tested positive to a PCR real time test on Monday and it notified Sao Paulo state's epidemiological agency on Tuesday.
The new coronavirus is believed to have originated in a market selling wildlife in the Chinese city of Wuhan late last year and has infected about 80,000 people and killed more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.
