Coronavirus: UAE confirms first case in family from Wuhan

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates announced Wednesday its first case of the new coronavirus, in a family from Wuhan, in what is thought to be the first confirmed case in the Middle East.

"The UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention announced a case of the new coronavirus affecting people from one family coming from the city of Wuhan in China," the state news agency WAM reported, without saying how many were infected.

"It added in a statement that the health condition of those affected was stable and under medical monitoring."

The toll from the novel coronavirus outbreak in China has soared to 130 while nearly 1,500 new cases have been confirmed.

The coronavirus is a new type of pneumonia, officially being described as 2019-nCoV. Wuhan and 17 others cities in Hubei Province remain the epicentre of the outbreak with most of the deaths having taken place there.

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