YANGON, Myanmar 

Myanmar said Tuesday that a nasal cancer patient who tested positive for the novel coronavirus has passed away, marking the country’s first confirmed death from the disease.   

The 69-year-old Myanmar national, who received medical treatment in Australia for a month and arrived back in Yangon on March 14, was among the country’s 14 confirmed cases.  

The Ministry of Health and Sports said he died Tuesday morning in a hospital in Yangon.   

After first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 177 countries and territories, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

 More than 785,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll over 37,600 and more than 165,000 recoveries.