- The first death from the coronavirus outside of Asia has been recorded.
- France's health minister confirmed on Saturday that a Chinese tourist died of the virus in France, marking the first fatality from the virus in Europe.
- The unidentified man arrived in France on January 16 and was quarantined in hospital on January 25, the minister said.
- The virus has now infected more than 67,000 people and killed more than 1,500. The vast majority of cases are in China.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
A Chinese tourist in France has become the first fatality from the deadly coronavirus in Europe.
Agnès Buzyn, France's health minister, said on Saturday that an 80-year-old man had died from the virus, marking the first death outside of Asia from the coronavirus, the BBC reported.
The man was from China's Hubei province, which is home to the city of Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus which is currently on lockdown as authorities try and limit the spread of the virus.
Buzyn said that the unidentified man arrived in France on January 16, and was quarantined in a Paris hospital on January 25.
"His condition had quickly worsened and he had been in critical condition for several days," Buzyn said in a televised statement, The New York Times reported.
The BBC also reported Buzyn as saying the man's daughter also has the virus, but is believed to be recovering.
11 cases of the coronavirus had been recorded in France as of Friday.
The virus has now infected more than 67,000 people and killed more than 1,500.
But all of these deaths were in Asia, and the vast majority were in mainland China. In one case, a US citizen died in China.
Before Saturday, only three deaths from the virus were recorded from outside of mainland China: in Japan, Hong Kong, and the Philippines.
Countries around the world are screening passengers for signs of the virus, while some airlines have suspended flights from parts of China in a bid to halt the spread of the virus.
This is where cases have been recorded elsewhere in Europe:
- Germany: 16
- United Kingdom: 9
- Italy: 3
- Spain: 2
- Belgium: 1
- Sweden: 1
The first case of the coronavirus was also announced in Africa on Friday. Egypt said a tourist tested positive and was in isolation.
Read more about the coronavirus:
- China boasted that it built two new coronavirus hospitals in 12 days. But they're treating less than half the people they're supposed to.
- Oil demand set to fall for first time in over 10 years as coronavirus hits Chinese economy
- China's Hubei province reports nearly 15,000 new coronavirus cases and 242 additional deaths in 1 day
Receive a daily update on your cellphone with all our latest news: click here.
Also from Business Insider South Africa:
- Here's how you know you're being duped in a vishing scam
- Lay's says South Africans prefer a different kind of chips than the rest of the world. Here’s our favourite flavour
- Everything you need to know about this year's SONA - from a new smart city to plans for dagga
- Smart delivery drones are one step closer in SA, thanks to the approval of a new autopilot system
- AngloGold leaves SA - more than 100 years after the Oppenheimer empire was founded in local gold mining
- Sorry, your Mandela R5 coin is probably still only worth R5
- While .com domains are getting much pricier, you can get a co.za from R75 a year – but there’s a catch
- Samsung's new Galaxy Buds+ will cost R1,200 less than Apple's Airpods Pro — here's what we know
- Photos show how life is returning to Australian forests that were devastated by wildfires
