Coronavirus: First death reported in Thailand

ANKARA

Thailand reported Sunday the first death from the new coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19.

According to the local daily Bangkok Post, the authorities announced that a 35-year-old patient who was diagnosed with the disease died, marking the first death.

Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control of the Public Health Ministry, said that the patient was hospitalized due to dengue fever, however, he was also diagnosed with the coronavirus after his admission to the hospital.

Suwannachai said the male patient, who was a retail worker, was transferred to Bamrasnardura Infectious Diseases Institute where he died on Saturday of multiple organ failure.

A total of 42 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Thailand so far.

The virus was first detected in Wuhan, China last December.

The global death toll reached 2,980 with China being the worst hit and reporting nearly 80,000 confirmed cases.

The World Health Organization, which already declared the outbreak an international health emergency, updated the global risk level to very high.

* With contributions and writing by Sena Guler