COVID-19: Vatican, Cameroon, Serbia record first cases

India coronavirus cases jump to 31

Philippines reports two new infections, while South Korea reports 518 new cases

Vatican, Cameroon and Serbia are the latest to confirmed first cases of  COVID-19 in their respective domains as the confirmed cases in India jumped to thirty one.

Cameroon confirmed its first case of coronavirus after a 58-year-old French citizen tested positive to the virus, thus becoming the 7th country in African sub-region to confirm the presence of the deadly virus after Egypt, Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria, Tunisia and South Africa..

The health ministry said the man, who arrived in the capital Yaounde on February 24, has been quarantined in the city's central hospital.

In Serbia, health minister Zlatibor Loncar reported on Friday that a 43-year-old man became the first person in Serbia to reported as having been infected with the coronavirus.

Meanwhile the Vatican has reported its first coronavirus case, saying it had suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after a patient tested positive.

Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni told journalists on Friday that the clinic, which has some 1,000 residents, will be deep cleaned.

However, the number of coronavirus cases in India has increased sharply from six to 31 this week, the health ministry announced on Friday. Authorities in the capital, New Delhi, have also ordered the closure of primary schools until March 31 to prevent local transmission.

Philippines reports two new infections

Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced two new coronavirus infections, bringing the total confirmed cases to five.

One of the patients had reportedly traveled to Japan, while the other person "has no known history of travel outside the country". The second patient reported on Friday reportedly frequented a mosque in Metro Manila before the infection was confirmed.

While there are only five confirmed cases in the Philippines, more than 80 Filipinos working abroad have contracted the disease, most of whom were working on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

South Korean health authorities reported 518 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday, bringing to 6,284 the total number of infections nationwide, according to Yonhap news agency.

Yonhap also quoted the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as saying that 42 people, mostly elderly with underlying illnesses, have died.

Most of the cases of infections were from the southeastern city of Daegu, a city of 2.5 million people.

Globally, more than 95,000 people have been diagnosed with the disease, the vast majority in China, with 3,015 deaths in China and 267 deaths across the globe, many in Italy and Iran.

 

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