British tourist suspected to be the first Western victim of mysterious Chinese coronavirus

A 32-year-old tourist from the United Kingdom, Ash Shorley, is fighting for his life at a hospital in Phuket, Thailand, after being infected with a mysterious virus that has originated in China. Doctors had to remove fluid from the patient's lungs. The flu-like illness has claimed three lives while the actual number of infected patients remains unknown. Shorley is suspected to be the first Western victim to have been infected by the virus.

Shorley had been visiting the famous Kho Phi Phi island when he started to feel unwell. After displaying flu-like symptoms, his condition deteriorated swiftly. Doctors on the island were unable to provide proper care for Shorley so he had to be transported to mainland Thailand.

Shorley's lungs were in such a critical condition that they had to hire a seaplane to fly him from Kho Phi Phi to Phuket at low altitudes. Doctors at the hospital in Phuket have not confirmed which virus has infected Shorley. However, they have revealed that the symptoms were consistent with the mysterious Chinese coronavirus infection.

Speaking to The Sun, Shorley's 55-year-old father claimed that his son was days away from death had the doctors not treated him in time. Once Shorley arrived in Phuket, the doctors inserted pipes into his back to drain the fluid which was accumulating in his lungs. Around 2kg of fluid has been removed from Shorley's lungs. Shorley parents are at his bedside awaiting his recovery.

The Daily Mail pointed out that since December 2019, patients started being infected by the mysterious virus in Wuhan, China. The virus, which is similar to SARS and MERS, trigger flu-like symptoms in patients. From what starts off as a fever accompanied by coughing and breathing problems, it evolves into pneumonia in many patients.

According to the Chinese government, there have been 205 reported cases of patients infected in China with three confirmed deaths. There have also been four confirmed cases outside of China. However, it is feared that the number of infected patients is much more than the official numbers which have been released by the Chinese government.