(Update) Japan confirms 4th case of new coronavirus

January 27, 2020

Tokyo--Japan's health ministry said Sunday that it has confirmed the country's fourth case of infection with a new type of coronavirus that has caused a number of people to develop pneumonia in China.

The fourth patient is a man in his 40s from the inland China city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the new virus, the ministry said. The man has been hospitalized, and his condition is stable, according to the ministry.

The man arrived in Japan with two family members in a group tour on Wednesday. He visited a medical institution in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, where he and other tour participants were staying, after developing a fever on Thursday and suffering pain in joints on Friday night.

The man was hospitalized as he complained of symptoms of pneumonia, and his infection with the new coronavirus was confirmed on Sunday afternoon.

The group of 28 travelers, including the man and his family members, was touring around Aichi by bus after arriving in Japan. The man was always wearing a face mask during the travel.

His two family members, other tour participants and a tour guide are free from infection at the moment, the ministry said.

The man said he did not have contact with pneumonia patients in China or did not visit a Wuhan seafood market that is suspected to be the source of the new coronavirus, according to the ministry. Jiji Press