A Japanese man who allegedly tried to infect others with coronavirus after his diagnosis has died, Japanese media reported Wednesday.
The patient died in hospital, where he had been admitted for treatment. He lived in Gamagori, Aichi prefecture, and was 57-years-old; his name remains unknown.
On March 4, the man tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Doctors were unable to admit him to a special treatment facility until the next day and instructed him to go home and self-isolate for the night. Instead, he went out to bars and socialized, reportedly telling people he encountered that he had tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus.
The man reportedly told some of his relatives he wanted to spread the virus.
Employees of the establishments the man visited contacted authorities after learning of the man’s diagnosis and intentions to spread the deadly coronavirus. Police had planned to arrest the man before his death, on suspicion of obstruction of business. Public health services reportedly detained the man, but he died before charges could be brought against him. The bars and establishments visited by the man were forced to close for disinfection after the incident, and eventually halt operations, costing the businesses serious revenue.
The man infected at least one other person before his demise, a woman in her 30s working at a bar he visited post-diagnosis. Media reported her condition as stable at press time. To date, she remains the only person known to have contracted the Wuhan coronavirus from the man.
Aichi prefecture, where the man was from, has the second highest number of Wuhan coronavirus cases in Japan, at press time 125. Aichi prefecture’s high number of cases reportedly link back to an outbreak at nursing home in Nagoya, the capital. With the world’s oldest population, Japan has long struggled to adequately house and care for its elderly.
To date Japan has reported 889 Wuhan coronavirus cases and 29 deaths.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.