English Section

Second coronavirus patient dies in Poland

13.03.2020 22:15
Health authorities in Poland have announced the country’s second death linked to the coronavirus, with the total number of infections nationwide at 68.
Polish Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski.
Polish Health Minister Łukasz Szumowski.Photo: PAP/Piotr Nowak

A 73-year-old man died at a hospital in the southwestern city of Wrocław after contracting the virus, the Polish health ministry said in a tweet on Friday evening.

It added that the patient had been diagnosed “with a serious condition and multiple underlying health issues.”

Poland’s first coronavirus fatality was a 57-year-old woman whose death in the western city of Poznań was announced on Thursday.

The first case of coronavirus infection was reported in Poland last week.

The new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes a disease known as Covid-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China. It has now spread to at least 130 countries.

The most common symptoms of the illness are fever, coughing, difficulty in breathing, muscle pain and fatigue.

The World Health Organisation declared on Wednesday that the global coronavirus outbreak was a pandemic, voicing alarm over mounting infections worldwide and urging governments to step up containment efforts.

The number of worldwide cases has approached 140,000 and deaths exceeded 5,000, Poland's PAP news agency reported on Friday.

Poland on Friday declared a state of "epidemic emergency" and said it would temporarily close its borders to non-citizens to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP, IAR