Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Ecuador Reports 1st Coronavirus Case; Mexico Reports 2 More

Associated Press

   QUITO, ECUADOR - Officials in Ecuador on Saturday confirmed the first
   case of the new coronavirus in the South American nation, while Mexico
   reported two more cases and Brazil one more.
   Ecuador's Health Minister Catalina Andramuno Zeballos said a
   more-than-70-year-old Ecuadoran woman who lives in Spain arrived in the
   country on Feb. 14 showing no symptoms of illness.
   "In the following days she began to feel badly with a fever,''
   Andramuno said at a news conference, adding that she was taken to a
   medical center. The National Institute of Public Health and
   Investigation in Ecuador confirmed the virus.
   The deputy minister of health, Julio Lopez said that the patient's
   condition was "critical.''
   It was the second case in South America, following a Brazilian case
   reported on Wednesday. The Sao Paulo state health department reported
   another Brazilian case later on Saturday _ a person who had recently
   visited Italy.
   Ecuadoran President Lenin Moreno sent out a tweet urging people to stay
   calm, and the Interior Ministry announced it was barring mass
   gatherings in the cities of Guayaquil - where the infected woman was
   located - and Babahoyo.

.