A 56-year-old Chinese man caught the fatal coronavirus after standing close to a patient for the brief amount of time. The man is believed to be from the coastal city of Ningbo in China and he caught the cirrus at the Shuangdongfang market. He stood inside a booth with the infected women for just 15 seconds.
A report by the Jiangbei Health Commission said the man named only as “Patient 5” stood next to a confirmed female carrier – 61-year-old “patient 2” – at a booth inside Shuangdongfang market on January 23.
The outbreak has so far affected 30,000 people and killed 560.
The infection has spread to around 30 countries across the world, which include the UK and the US.
The virus is believed to have originated from animals in a ‘wet market’ in Wuhan.
Chinese officials have announced that the sale of all wildlife in Chine has been banned.
In the US, the Trump administration has now declared the coronavirus a public health emergency.
The director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has asked for 675 million to help countries address the expected spread of the virus.
A third person in the UK has been diagnosed as suffering from the virus after picking up the infection from overseas.
SEE MORE: Coronavirus warning: Number of cases ‘greater’ than China claims
“The NHS is well prepared to manage these cases and we are now working quickly to identify any contacts the patient has had.”
This comes as Hong Kong has confirmed its 22nd case of the deadly virus.
On Tuesday the Foreign Office said all British nationals in China should leave the country to avoid coronavirus.