WUHAN VIRUS/One confirmed case, 12 under quarantine for Wuhan coronavirus: CDC

Taipei, Jan. 22 (CNA) A Taiwanese woman, confirmed Tuesday as the first domestic case of a new type of coronavirus originating in Wuhan, China, remains in a stable condition, while 12 others are currently under quarantine and being monitored, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Wednesday.

According to Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), a spokesman for the CDC's epidemic response command center, a total of 21 suspected cases of the virus have been reported as of Tuesday, of which one has been confirmed, eight have been ruled out and 12 are currently under quarantine.

Regarding the confirmed case, the CDC announced Tuesday that a 55-year-old Taiwanese woman who works in Wuhan reported to quarantine officials that she was suffering from a fever upon arriving at Taoyuan International Airport on Monday.

The woman later tested positive for the pneumonia-like virus dubbed the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), making her the world's first non-Chinese national diagnosed with the disease, the center said.

On Wednesday, Chuang provided an update on the woman's condition, saying that both her body temperature and respiratory rate are normal.

Apart from experiencing a slight shortness of breath when walking, "everything is alright," Chuang said.

Chuang added that the patient will continue to undergo chest x-rays to monitor her condition, and will remain in quarantine during her recovery.

Of the 46 people who came into contact with the woman, only one individual was suffering from a slight cough, but showed no symptoms of fever, Chuang said.

According to the CDC, as of Wednesday, 440 cases and nine deaths from the virus have been reported in China, of which 258 have occurred in Wuhan.

A total of nine cases of the virus have now been reported in areas outside China, including four in Thailand, and one each in Japan, South Korea, the United States, Macau and Taiwan, the CDC said.

The CDC said all the international cases involve individuals who had recently been in the Wuhan area.