World, Europe

Belarus reports 1st death from COVID-19

75-year-old man had underlying health issues

Dmitri Chirciu  | 31.03.2020 - Update : 01.04.2020
Belarus reports 1st death from COVID-19 File Photo

MINSK, Belarus

Belarus on Tuesday confirmed its first death from coronavirus.

The deceased was a 75-year-old theatre actor, President Alexander Lukashenko announced.

The man identified as Viktor Dashkevich had pneumonia, he said.

On Monday, the country's Health Ministry said the total confirmed cases have surged to 152.

Meanwhile, on presidential elections scheduled for Aug. 30, Lukashenko said there is no reason to postpone them.

After first appearing in Wuhan, China, last December, the virus has spread to at least 179 countries and regions, according to the U.S-based Johns Hopkins University database.

The data shows the confirmed number of cases worldwide has surpassed 823,000, with the death toll over 40,600 and more than 174,000 recoveries.

*Writing by Fahri Aksut

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