Brazil Confirms First Case of New Coronavirus in Latin America

Airport employees wear masks as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus COVID-19 as they work at the Sao Paulo International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Feb. 26, 2020. Andre Penner/AP Photo

Brazilian authorities said on Feb. 26 that tests confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in the country. The 61-year-old man, who lives in Sao Paulo, traveled to Italy earlier this month.

The confirmed case is the first in Latin America. Previously, only the United States and Canada had confirmed cases in the Americas.