UAE identifies 2 new Coronavirus Cases, in total Seven

Two new cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in the United Arab Emirates, bringing the total number of people diagnosed with the disease to seven, the health ministry said on Twitter on Saturday.

The patients are of Chinese and Filipino nationalities, said the ministry.

“The patients were identified through the continuous periodic screening being conducted in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for people with symptoms of the new coronavirus,” the statement read.

The new coronavirus that emerged in a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of last year has killed 722 people and infected more than 34,546 people in China.

A major international transit hub, UAE had suspended flights to and from China, except for Beijing, from Feb 3, following the outbreak of the new coronavirus in China. Other countries to have suspended flights from China in the region include Iran and Iraq.

The Emirates was the first Middle Eastern country to confirm it had detected cases of coronavirus. The ministry added that the patients were currently under observation and receiving relevant medical treatment.

On Saturday, it was reported the virus had claimed its first two foreign victims – a US citizen who was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus and a Japanese man suspected to have the infection. Both died in Wuhan.