Another coronavirus case confirmed in Croatia, bringing the total up to 10

AFP/DENIS LOVROVIC

One more case of coronavirus infection, the tenth so far, was confirmed in Croatia on Wednesday, in a man from the northern Croatian city of Varazdin who had recently been to Italy.

Health Minister Vili Beros confirmed the information on Wednesday afternoon, saying that the man is in quarantine in Varazdin.

The latest case comes after eight people were quarantined in the cities of Zagreb and Rijeka, all of whom had close contact with the two men who were diagnosed first – a man from Rijeka who had recently been in Parma, Italy, and another man from Zagreb who had travelled to Milan some weeks ago. The ninth case, diagnosed yesterday, was also in the city of Varazdin, in a man who had been to Italy in the last few weeks as well.

All the patients discovered in the country so far are exhibiting only mild symptoms of the disease, some none at all, and are feeling well, the head of the Fran Mihaljevic Hospital for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb, Alenka Markotic, said on Wednesday.

All those who were in contact with the man diagnosed on Wednesday will be monitored, said the head of the Croatian Public Health Institute, Krunoslav Capak.

As of Wednesday, around 266 suspected cases have been tested at the Fran Mihaljevic Hospital.

Since first being discovered in China in December, the virus has spread across the world, with some 93,000 cases recorded, and 3,200 people have died from the disease so far. The situation remains the worst in China, with over 80,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths.

The virus was found in more than 20 European countries so far. Italy remains the worst affected EU country with some 3,000 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths. Italian authorities also confirmed on Wednesday that all schools and universities  will be closed for two weeks, starting Thursday, in an attempt to contain the outbreak.

The latest European country to confirm the infection was Poland on Wednesday, with their Health Minister, Lukasz Szumowski, saying the patient, who had recently travelled to Germany, was feeling well.