16:45,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. The first lethal case of the novel coronavirus has been identified in Europe – a Chinese tourist who contracted the disease died in France, Agence France-Presse said citing the French health minister, reports TASS.

According to the official, the 80-year-old Chinese citizen was rushed to hospitals with novel coronavirus symptoms in late January.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously called 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan – a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people – in late December. The WHO declared it a global emergency, describing the outbreak as an epidemic with multiple foci.

The virus spread to 25 more countries, apart from China: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. Chinese authorities have confirmed more than 66,400 cases of the disease, over 1,520 people died, while more than 8,000 people are reported to have recovered.