Now Italy spreads coronavirus to Austria AND Croatia: Health officials confirm three more cases of the deadly infection have made their way out of the country
- The confirmed cases have been announced after a surge in infections in Italy
- Both of the patients are Italian nationals and thought to have caught it there
- They were diagnosed in Tyrol in western Austria, a popular skiing destination
- More than 80,000 people around the world have caught the coronavirus
Austria and Croatia have become the latest countries to declare their first cases of the coronavirus as it tightens its grip on Europe.
All three of the new cases – two in Austria and one in Croatia – are among young men with links to Italy, where almost 300 people are now infected.
The Austrian cases are in Italian nationals who live in the Tyrol region of Austria, while the Croatian patient fell ill after returning from a trip to Milan at the weekend.
More than 80,000 people across the world have been infected, while at least 2,700 are known to have died from the pneumonia-causing virus.
Europe’s biggest outbreak is in Italy, which has recorded at least 283 confirmed cases and seven deaths – up from just six cases on Friday.
They are two Italians who live in the province and were probably infected in Italy’s Lombardy region, Tyrol governor Guenther Platter was quoted as saying by local media (pictured, a view of the Brenner highway in Tyrol)
A public broadcaster in Austria, ORF, said the patients have slight fevers and are being looked after at a hospital in Innsbruck.
They are both from Italy and live in Austrian Tyrol, but are thought to have caught the virus from the Lombardy region of Italy.
It is not clear whether they visited the region recently.