Story By: Maja Mishevksa, Sub Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash

This Brazilian woman has been arrested after she pretended to be suffering from the coronavirus so that she could be seen first in a clinic.

Claudia Maria Rosa da Silva, 39, went to a health centre in the neighbourhood of Copacabana, in the city of Rio de Janeiro, eastern Brazil claiming she was suffering from coronavirus symptoms.

The woman, who lives in Rio de Janeiro, told staff that she had just returned from Hong Kong, where she had worked as an au pair.

Her claims sparked an alert and mobilised health professionals for hours.

The patient was taken to an isolated room and underwent medical tests. The Health Ministry also warned the public about the situation.

However, authorities investigated and found out that the woman had never actually been abroad.

Her family were interviewed and they confessed that they have made up everything so that they did not have to wait in the queue.

The Health Ministry later released an update stating that it was a false alarm and the police arrested the woman.

So far there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Latin America.

It is unknown why the woman really went to the clinic.

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