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First coronavirus death confirmed in Switzerland

05 March 2020 15:02 (UTC +04:00)

The first novel coronavirus death has been recorded in Switzerland, the authorities of the canton of Vaud reported on their official website on Thursday, APA reports citing TASS.

They noted that a 74-year-old woman who was undergoing treatment in a hospital in Lausanne since March 3 had died. "In the early morning on Thursday, a cantonal doctor pronounced a female patient who had been in critical condition dead," the statement reads. The authorities added that the woman had a heart disease.

According to the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, on the evening of March 4, 58 confirmed coronavirus cases have been recorded in Switzerland. The first case was confirmed on February 25.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. More than 70 countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

Almost 3,000 people have died in China, which accounts for the majority of novel coronavirus cases, more than 52,000 patients have recovered, while the total number of infected people stands at 80,000.

According to the World Health Organization, almost 12,700 coronavirus cases have been confirmed outside China, over 200 patients have died.