A man has died in France from coronavirus – the first fatality in Europe.
The 80-year-old tourist from China died at the Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in northern Paris from a lung infection.
French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn confirmed the death – which marks Europe’s first coronavirus fatality.
The man, in his eighties and from the Chinese province of Hubei, had been receiving treatment in hospital since the January 25th.
He had been kept in isolation
He had arrived in France on 16 January.
His daughter was also treated for COVID-19 – as the virus is now called.
She has now recovered according to authorities.
French Health Minister Ms Buzyn warned: “Our health system must be prepared to face a possible virus spreading across the country.”
This is the fourth death outside of mainland China.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has sent a team of 24 experts to China to investigate how the virus is spreading and its severity.
So far, 1,525 people have died from COVID-19.
More than 67,000 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak last December in Wuhan.
