DUBAI: Bahrain reported its first case of coronavirus on Monday, after health authorities said a citizen arriving from Iran showed symptoms of the virus.
Meanwhile, Kuwait reported three cases of the virus in people, including a Saudi national, who had recently traveled from Iran.
The three cases, the first in the Gulf state, were among the 700 people evacuated from the northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad last week, state news agency KUNA reported.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health confirmed it was coordinating with Kuwaiti health authorities to treat the Saudi national, adding that the patient would remain in Kuwait until they were cured.
Iraq, which on Monday also reported its first case of the virus, has shut its Safwan border crossing with Kuwait to travelers and trade at Kuwait's request, the local mayor said on Monday without providing a reason, amid fears over the spread of coronavirus. In Bahrain, the small island state confirmed its first case of the coronavirus.
“The patient was transferred to the Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Medical Centre for immediate testing, treatment and isolation under the supervision of a specialized medical team,” Bahrain News Agency reported.
“The ministry undertook further necessary medical measures to monitor all individuals who had been in contact with the patient and referred them to isolation accordingly.”
Bahrain’s health ministry also said it was taking further preventive measures to ensure the virus was contained, including monitoring the health of individuals arriving from infected countries for a period of 14 days, in line with international standards set by the World Health Organization.
“The ministry calls upon all citizens and residents who are experiencing symptoms of COVID19, including a fever, coughing and difficulty breathing, or those who have traveled to one of the countries infected with the disease or have interacted with a person traveling from any of those locations, or interacted with an infected patient, to isolate themselves, call 444, and follow the instructions given by the medical team, and avoid close contact with others,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile four more people have died of coronavirus in Iran, a spokesman for parliament said on Monday, bringing to 12 the country’s overall death toll from the outbreak.
“The minister of health announced the deaths of 12 people and 47 cases of infection in the country,” Assadollah Abbassi was quoted as saying by semi-official news agency ISNA after a closed session of parliament.
Afghanistan on Monday also confirmed its first confirmed case of coronavirus, the country’s health minister said.
Doha-based Qatar Airways meanwhile said in a statement on Sunday it will quarantine passengers arriving from Iran and South Korea.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced Monday that the coronavirus remained an international emergency.
The Geneva-based agency used no longer has a process for declaring a pandemic - the last time it did was the H1N1 swine flu outbreak in 2009.
A WHO spokesman said it had declared the novel coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China in December a public health emergency of International concern, known as a PHEIC, on Jan. 30.
“There is no official category (for a pandemic),” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.
“WHO does not use the old phasing system that some people may be familiar with from 2009. Under the IHR (International Health Regulations), WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern.”
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