Society

Japan confirms 3 more cases of new coronavirus

Jan 31 (NHK) - Japan has confirmed three more cases of infection with the new coronavirus, raising the total domestic tally to 14.

The latest confirmations came on Thursday. The three people include a Chinese student who is in her 20s and lives in the western prefecture of Kyoto, a male foreign national in his 50s, who lives in the western prefecture of Mie, and a tour conductor who is in her 30s and resides in the Chinese province of Hunan.

The health ministry says the Chinese student arrived in Japan on January 22 from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. It says she was rushed to a hospital on Tuesday after experiencing fevers.

The ministry says the foreign resident of Mie stayed in Wuhan from December 24. It says he returned to Japan on January 13, developed fevers on Tuesday, and was admitted to a hospital on Wednesday for signs of pneumonia.

The ministry says the tour conductor stayed in Wuhan on January 19 and came to Japan on the following day. It says she started developing fevers and coughing on January 24 and was admitted to hospital on Thursday.

The ministry says Japan is currently not at a stage where the virus is confirmed to be spreading. It is calling on people to take the same preventive measures they would normally use against infectious diseases, such as cold and flu.

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