Hungary confirms third coronavirus case

As reported by the Hungarian government's coronavirus website on Thursday evening, a British man living in Debrecen tested positive for Covid-19. Earlier, 15 Japanese tourists suspected to have the virus were hospitalized in Budapest.

The infected man works in Milan, Italy, and made frequent trips between the city and his hometown Debrecen in Eastern Hungary. He landed at the Debrecen airport at dawn on 29 February, he had no fever at the time his temperature was taken at the airport.

After developing a fever later, he was taken by ambulance to the Kenézy Gyula Hospital where he was isolated and doctors took samples for testing, the results were positive. The government promised to provide further information tomorrow. 

Earlier in the afternoon, one of our readers named Gábor sent us an email in which Wizzair informs him that he traveled on a plane with an infected person onboard and urges him to turn to a doctor. Flight W6 7872 took off from Milan Malpensa Airport last Friday, 28 February, at around 10:00 PM and landed in Debrecen shortly before midnight. Our reader, who lives in Switzerland, took the Wizzair's advice and called his general practitioner who said it would help to know how far he was seated from the infected person. Gábor called Wizzair's customer service line where the representative told him that she has no information on such a case, and gave him an email address where they would respond within 30 days.

Index contacted Wizzair, and the company confirmed that Hungarian authorities have informed the airline about one of their passengers testing positive for the coronavirus, after which they notified all other passengers and staff on the same flight.

15 Japanese tourists suspected to have Covid-19 were also hospitalised in Budapest earlier on Thursday evening, they were taken to the Central Hospital of Southern Pest for tests and isolation from their hotel in Kálvin square. All the tourists are coughing but otherwise show no symptoms.

The government coronavirus website currently shows that

Hungary announced the first two cases in the country on Wednesday, two Iranian university students studying in Budapest and Gödöllő were infected on their (independent) trips to Iran. The first two patients and their partners are in isolation at the Central Hospital of Southern Pest, and their contact investigation is still ongoing. 

Authorities are also retracing the steps of a group of infected tourists who spent several days in Budapest at the end of February before testing positive for the virus days later in Prague. So far, it seems that they visited a ruin pub, a crepe shop, a pharmacy, and the Széchenyi Thermal Bath.

The first Hungarian citizen to contract Covid-19 was a man who worked on the cruise ship Diamond Princess was confirmed to have the disease at the end of February, he is still being treated in Japan.