First COVID-19 Case in Germany Infected by Chinese Business Traveler

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dong-hyun] It has been confirmed that the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in Germany was infected by a Chinese person who came on a business trip from China.

According to local media such as Spiegel and Focus Online on the 28th, a male employee of the automotive equipment company Webasto in Stockdorf, Bavaria, southern Germany, tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection on the afternoon of the previous day.

The confirmed patient (33 years old), who lives in Starnberg, 15 km away from Stockdorf, was infected by a Chinese female colleague who came on a business trip from Shanghai, China, on the 19th.

They were both part of the same training program, and at that time, the 33-year-old Chinese woman showed no symptoms of infection. The Chinese woman developed symptoms on the flight back on the 23rd, and her infection was confirmed in China. It was reported that before visiting Germany, the woman met her parents who came from Wuhan in China.

Currently, health authorities are testing 40 people, including family members and employees who had contact with the confirmed patient, for virus infection.

Meanwhile, Germany is the second European country to report a confirmed case after France.