First 3 Cases Of COVID-19 Internal Transmission Registered In Argentina - Health Ministry

Umer Jamshaid Published March 13, 2020 | 03:20 AM

BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th March, 2020) The first three cases of internal transmission of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have been registered in Argentina, the national Health Ministry said.

"Today 10 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the provinces of Chaco, Cordoba, Buenos Aires, Entre Rios and in the country's capital. Seven of them are linked to the recent travel to the risk zones, while three cases are a result of close contact with those diagnosed with the coronavirus," the ministry said in a statement.

Argentina has also imposed special quarantine measures on those arriving from the areas hit by the coronavirus: all European countries, the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Iran.

The coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan, China's Hubei province, in late December, and has since spread worldwide. More than 127,000 people have been infected with COVID-19, with over 4,700 having died and 68,000 recovered. The number of confirmed cases in Argentina has reached 31, with one fatality.

On Wednesday, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the COVID-19 outbreak could be characterized as a pandemic.