Health officials in the Mexican border state of Nuevo Leon confirmed a case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). This marks the second case of COVID-19 reported in a Mexican state bordering Texas. The confirmation comes on the same day that the World Health Organization officially reclassified the global coronavirus crisis outbreak as a pandemic.
On Wednesday evening, Manuel De La O., the head of Nuevo Leon’s Health Secretariat, held a press conference where he reported that a 57-year-old man from the suburb of San Pedro tested positive for COVID-19. The man recently returned from various European cities including London, Munich, and Madrid where he is believed to have contracted the virus. The patient is being treated at a private hospital and remains in isolation.
Eight other individuals who were in contact with the patient including relatives and house staff remain under observation to determine if they also contracted the virus, De la O. said.
Nuevo Leon shares a small section of the border with Texas and is one of Mexico’s busiest manufacturing, commercial, and industrial regions. As Breitbart Texas reported, in late February, the Governor of Coahuila Enrique Riquelme announced the first border state case when a woman who had traveled to Italy tested positive for the virus.
The confirmation comes on the same day that health officials in Queretaro revealed that they had their first case of COvid-19 in that central Mexican state. The patient, a 43-year-old Mexican national who resides in Spain, had traveled to Mexico City and then traveled by car to visit relatives in Queretaro when he began showing symptoms of the virus. He sought medical attention and has since tested positive for the virus.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mexico has 12 confirmed cases and close to 49 possible cases under observation.
Earlier on Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus crisis to be a pandemic.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.