The first three people have been
infected with the coronavirus in Italy.
The first is a man, 38, who is believed to have got the virus
after dining with a friend who had come back from China.
The other two infected people are the 38-year-old's wife who
has also been admitted to the Codogno hospital, and a third
person who went to hospital suffering symptoms of pneumonia
after having had contact with the 38-year-old.
The 38-year-old man has been admitted to the intensive care
ward of a hospital at Codogno near Lodi in northern Italy.
He is said to be in a very serious condition, with
respiratory insufficiency.
Doctors said they are reserving judgement on his prognosis.
The man went to the emergency room of the hospital on
Thursday.
Authorities are reconstructing his movements.
The friend with whom he dined, meanwhile, has been taken to
Milan's Sacco Hospital.
He is in isolation there.
Meanwhile the first 20 of 55 Italians who returned from Wuhan
February 3 have now left quarantine at the Cecchignola military
complex outside Rome.
There have been the first two deaths and 13 new infections,
making a total of 634, on the Diamond Princess cruise ship off
Japan.
Some 30 of 35 Italians on board the ship are returning to
Rome on a military plane along with 27 Europeans.
The other five, crew and the captain, have stayed on board.
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