HONG KONG, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Thursday confirmed two cases of novel coronavirus pneumonia in Hong Kong.

Gabriel Leung (L), chair professor of public health medicine at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), speaks about the extent of the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak in China as Joseph Wu (R), a professor at the School of Public Health at HKUMed, looks on during a press conference in Hong Kong on January 21, 2020. (Photo: AFP)

The clinical samples of a traveler from Wuhan and a local resident were confirmed positive for novel coronavirus on Thursday after tests, a spokesperson of the Department of Health of the HKSAR government told Xinhua.