On Tuesday, the Algerian health minister has confirmed the country had encountered its first case with the coronavirus, the announcement was made on the state-owned network ENTV.
According to the minister, Abdel Rahman Ben Bouzid, the patient is an Italian man who arrived in the country on 17 February. The patient has been placed in isolation.
Algeria becomes the second African country with a confirmed case of coronavirus.
Egypt was the first to report a confirmed case of the disease but later announced that the patient had been declared clear of the infection and was on the way to recovery.
The coronavirus has been spreading fast with new cases reported in the Middle East, Europe and other parts of the world, with more deaths in Italy. The virus has now infected more than 80,000 globally, killing at least 2,700, Aljazeera reports.
