Ministry Working To Identify Infection Routes
Japan's health minister Katsunobu Kato says his ministry is working to identify the infection routes of the new coronavirus after the first virus-related death in the country on Thursday.
Kato told reporters on Friday that people must be concerned about becoming infected.
He appealed to the elderly and those with chronic health problems to call consultation hotlines if they have symptoms such as coughing and fever. He said callers who are suspected of having the virus will be referred to medical institutions.
Asked if he believes person-to-person infections are taking place in Japan, Kato replied that ministry officials have no evidence to change their current assessment that there is no epidemic.
But he said that they cannot rule out the possibility of the virus spreading further, and they are making preparations to treat patients in the event of an epidemic.
Kato added that the ministry plans to send experts from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases to a hospital in Wakayama Prefecture, western Japan. A doctor and a patient at the hospital have been confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus.
