Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Germany: Media Reports Of 1st Locally Acquired Coronavirus Case













#14,750


For the second time in less than two hours we have a report of a locally acquired coronavirus infection outside of Mainland China;  First a confirmed report from Japan's MOH, and now media reports of a case first reported last night in Germany.

The slightly vague statement currently posted on Germany's RKI website reads:
First disease caused by the new corona virus in Germany
In Germany, an infection with the novel corona virus (2019-nCoV) has been confirmed for the first time. The person concerned comes from Bavaria, he was isolated according to the information from the Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Social Affairs, is medically cared for and is in good clinical condition. An import of individual cases to Germany must be expected. Individual transmissions in Germany are also possible. The risk to the health of the population in Germany from the new respiratory disease from China remains low at present, and this assessment may change in the short term due to new findings.As of January 28, 2020
In the past hour, a press conference (in German) was held in Berlin, and local media are reporting this patient had contact with a co-worker visiting from China, who was later diagnosed with the virus.

You'll find an English language report at:
German virus patient is case of human-to-human transmission in Germany
Agence France-Presse
A second, more detailed report from Deutsche Welle:

Germany confirms human transmission of coronavirus
Health authorities say the man who contracted the virus is from the state of Bavaria. It is the first known instance outside of China of the disease transmitting between unrelated persons.

None of this is unexpected, and more locally transmitted cases outside of China are to be expected.  It has actually been surprising that it has taken this long for cases like these to turn up, although the prolonged (up to 14 day) incubation period has likely been a factor.