French officials have confirmed the first death outside of Asia caused by the Coronavirus.
France has confirmed the first Coronavirus-related death outside of Asia, according to The Hill.
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn says the 80-year-old tourist traveled from China’s Hubei Province to France in mid-January and was hospitalized days later. The Hubei Province is the epicenter of the disease.
The deceased man’s daughter is also infected with the disease; however, doctors believe her condition to be less serious than her father.
As of Saturday, China reports that 66,493 total people have been affected and 1,523 have died.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recently spoke at the Munich Security Conference.
“It’s impossible to predict what direction this epidemic will take.
“We’re concerned by the continued increase of the number of cases in China,” he added. “Most of all, we’re concerned about the potential havoc this virus could wreak in countries with weaker health systems. We must use the window of opportunity we have to intensify our preparedness.”
In other Coronavirus-related news, an 83-year-old woman, who was stuck aboard the MS Westerdam for weeks, reportedly has the illness, even though she was cleared to disembark on Friday, according to Bloomberg.
The woman made it to Malaysia before her illness was discovered. She is currently hospitalized.