Peru reports first death from novel coronavirus

BOGOTA, Colombia

Peru confirmed its first death from the novel coronavirus Thursday as the country continues its efforts to combat the outbreak.

A 78-year-old woman succumbed to the virus, the Health Ministry announced on social media.

It noted that the patient had hypertension.

The number of confirmed cases in Peru has reached 234.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, emerged in Wuhan, China in December and has spread to at least 161 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide totals 243,912, while the death toll exceeds 9,880 and over 85,700 have recovered, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.

*Writing by Sena Guler