MOSCOW

Armenian prime minister said Sunday a passenger traveling from Iran is diagnosed with the novel coronavirus, confirming the first case in his country.

In a Facebook post, Nikol Pashinyan said that 29-year-old Armenian citizen, who came from Tehran, where the disease is rapidly spreading, has been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

The infected person is fine, Pashinyan said, adding that they search for all those who contacted the individual.

The virus, officially known as COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan, China last December.

In Iran, 49 people have died of the virus so far.

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.

*Writing by Sena Guler