TOKYO: Japan confirmed three new cases of the Wuhan coronavirus among evacuees from the Chinese city of Wuhan, including one who initially tested negative, the health ministry said on Saturday (Feb 1).

It brings the country’s total number of confirmed cases to 20.



One of the three, a man in his 40s who had symptoms such as fever and coughing, first tested negative for coronavirus, the ministry said.

But the man, who was initially diagnosed with pneumonia, was later confirmed positive for the virus with an additional test, it said.

READ: Evacuations from Wuhan: What are the risks?



The government plans to send another chartered plane mid-week or later to bring back Japanese nationals who are still in China’s Hubei province and its provincial capital Wuhan, where the disease is thought to have originated, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

Japan has emailed its citizens in the province to tell them of its plan, and is negotiating with China about Chinese spouses of Japanese citizens who also wish to travel to Japan, it said.

The death toll in China soared to 304 on Sunday, with authorities reporting 45 new deaths from the previous day.



There were 2,590 new confirmed cases in China, bringing the total to nearly 14,500.



Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the Wuhan virus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram