Latvia's Health Ministry and Center for Disease Prevention and Control (SPKC) announced March 2 that a first positive test for the COVID-19 coronavirus has been confirmed, reported LSM's Latvian language service.

A press conference at 20:00 Rīga time said the individual with a COVID-19 infection is female and lives in Rīga. She had travelled from Milan to Munich and then flown to Rīga on February 29 aboard the 15:40 flight with the code BT226.

SPKC telephone numbers

She has been transferred to the Latvian Infectology Center along with her child, who also has been ill but who has not tested positive for the virus, officials said. Her health condition is not severe.

Efforts were being made to trace all the passengers on the flight which the woman took, SPKC departament direktor Jurijs Perevoščikovs said, and held up a piece of paper with telephone numbers passengers could call if they were on the flights.

Uzmanību! Šodien, 2. martā, plkst. 20.00 aicinām mediju pārstāvjus uz preses konferenci, kurā informēsim par atbildīgo dienestu turpmāko rīcību un rekomendācijām saistībā ar pirmo Latvijā apstiprināto saslimšanas gadījumu. Plašāk: https://t.co/1i8uMBeSDp pic.twitter.com/IBE3kuxKZq — Veselības ministrija (@veselibasmin) March 2, 2020

As previously reported by LSM, in the morning officials met for a third emergency meeting at which they insisted state institutions were working together effectively and repeated advice to the public.

The World Health Organization is a good source of information on the coronavirus, including both advice on precautions to take and this useful section of its website busting the many myths that have sprung up in recent weeks.