Esat Firat
24 February 2020•Update: 24 February 2020
JERUSALEM
Israel announced Sunday that a second Israeli citizen has been diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus which has spread to dozens of countries and claimed thousands of lives.
The Health Ministry said the patient was among the Israeli citizens who were evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship which was put under quarantine in Japan.
On Friday, Israeli authorities said one of the evacuees had contracted the virus, becoming the first case observed in the country.
In China, the epicenter of the virus, the death toll from the outbreak has reached 2,444, with more than 76,000 confirmed cases.
Following the global spread of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak an international health emergency.
*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas
