Five people have been admitted to Odense University Hospital in protective isolation, with symptoms that may indicate infection with a new corona virus.

The five admitted are a family of four in which the father recently returned from Saudi Arabia, but whose partner and two under-five children are also showing symptoms, and an unrelated man who has been to Qatar.

“The five have a fever, coughing and influenza-type symptoms,” Chief Physician Svend Stenvang Pedersen tells pol.dk. Pedersen says that samples have been sent for testing to determine whether the infection is the new corona virus.

“We hope to get the answers this afternoon. The five have been isolated because we don’t know how easily the virus spreads. So as with bird and swine flu you choose to admit them and isolate them to prevent any potential spread,” he adds.

The new virus was determined recently by the British Health Protection Agency in connection with a man sent to London from Qatar for treatment.

“The Health Protection Agency (HPA) can confirm the diagnosis of one laboratory confirmed case of severe respiratory illness associated with a new type of coronavirus,” the HPA says in a statement.

“The patient, who is from the Middle East and recently arrived in the UK, is receiving intensive care treatment in a London hospital,” it adds.

One man in Saudi Arabia has died as a result of the virus, with a further Qatari currently undergoing treatment in Qatar.

Corona viruses are a large family of viruses, including ones that cause the common cold and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The virus identified in the Middle East is a new strain that is different from any corona viruses previously seen in humans.

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