The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus reached a new milestone after a man in Brazil tested positive for the contagion.
The Brazilian government said on Wednesday that a 61-year-old man was infected and became ill. It was South America’s first confirmed case of the disease, known as COVID-19, which originated in China in December and has since spread across the globe.
“We will now see how this virus behaves in a tropical country in the middle of summer, how its behavior pattern will be,” said Brazil’s Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta in a news conference.
Cases of the new coronavirus have now been found on six continents, leaving only Antarctica.
According to authorities, the infected man returned to Brazil from a business trip in northern Italy, where he had spent two weeks and contracted the virus. The first test confirmed he was sick with the illness, and investigators are awaiting the results of a second test.
The man is in stable condition and is being quarantined in his home.
On Tuesday, a soldier stationed in South Korea became the first U.S. service member to be diagnosed with coronavirus. There have been at least 1,261 infections in South Korea and 12 deaths. Worldwide, there have been about 81,200 cases and at least 2,770 deaths, most of which were in mainland China.
President Trump is holding a news conference at 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday to discuss his administration’s response to the outbreak.