Argentina, Chile confirm first cases of Coronavirus

Health authorities in Argentina and Chile on Tuesday confirmed their first cases of the Novel Coronavirus, as the number of infection cases continued to spread across South America.

A 43-year-old man who recently returned to the capital Buenos Aires on Sunday from a trip to Italy, while a 33-year-old Chilean man who had spent a month in South-East Asia were confirmed as the first coronavirus cases in the Latin American neighbours, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The man visited several places in Europe, but mainly Italy," Argentina Health Minister Gines Gonzalez was quoted as saying at a press conference.

The patient told healthcare workers that he lives alone and had not gone out socially, so the chances of having infected others were low.

In Latin America, Brazil, Ecuador, Mexico and the Dominican Republic have also reported cases of the Coronavirus.