There are currently five confirmed and 21 possible cases of the coronavirus known as Covid-19 in Mexico, according to Deputy Health Minister Hugo López-Gatell.

“There are no new confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country,” López-Gatell told a press conference on Monday evening after the fifth case was confirmed in Chiapas on Sunday.

The number of suspected cases did rise, however, from 11 to 21. Authorities announced that they are in the states of Baja California, Jalisco, Colima, Aguascalientes, Nuevo León, Querétaro, Hidalgo, México state, Chihuahua and Veracruz.

The five confirmed cases are in Coahuila, Sinaloa, Chiapas and Mexico City, according to the last statement issued by the federal Ministry of Health at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The patients are three men and two women. Four are outpatient cases and one person is hospitalized.

México state Health Minister Gabriel O’Shea announced on Monday that one patient in the municipality of Tlalnepantla is currently under quarantine for a possible case of Covid-19, despite not presenting symptoms of the disease.

He also said that there are two suspected cases in the municipality of Xonacatlán. The married couple recently traveled to Italy and are currently under home quarantine awaiting the results of their tests.

The Chihuahua Health Ministry announced three possible cases in that state as well. Blood samples were sent to the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases for testing.

López-Gatell announced last week that the country’s hospitals are fully prepared to deal with the spread of the virus in Mexico.

Source: El Financiero (sp)