UPDATE - Prince Albert of Monaco tests positive for coronavirus

ADDS STATEMENT FROM MONACO PALACE

By Cindi Cook

PARIS (AA) - Prince Albert tested positive for new coronavirus known as COVID-19, according to a statement Thursday from Monaco's Royal Palace.

The prince's health situation is not a cause of concern and he is "being closely followed by his doctor and by specialists from the Princess Grace Hospital Centre," according to the statement. “Prince Albert will continue to work in his office in his private apartments.”

Monaco's Prime Minister Serge Telle also tested positive for the virus earlier this week.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 159 countries and territories. The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of more than 227,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 9,300, with more than 84,500 patients recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

Despite the rising number of cases, most who become infected suffer only mild symptoms and recover.