The number of coronavirus cases in Greece has reached 8, after authorities confirmed a man had been diagnosed with the disease on Wednesday morning.

The patient is a Greek national, who had reportedly come into close contact with the fifth confirmed case, the woman who had contacted the first case, a 38-year-old woman.

The eighth case has reportedly been quarantined at a Thessaloniki hospital. He is not in the high-risk group and his health is good.

The incident was diagnosed at the Laboratory of Microbiology lab at the Aristotle University Medical School.

Greek health authorities remain on high alert in order to prevent an outbreak of the new CONVID-19 virus, after having successfully contained the spread of virus from first confirmed cases by detecting in a timely manner the persons they had come into contact with by managing to track at least 270 people from their surroundings.

Most Greek experts are monitoring the course of the outbreak but are also focusing on the next phase, that of a possible large spread of the virus in the community, and preparing accordingly.