Coronavirus: Elderly Chinese tourist dies from infection in France, health minister confirms

An elderly Chinese tourist has died from coronavirus, the first fatality in Europe.

The patient died at Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris, according to reports.

French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn confirmed the death – which marks Europe’s first fatality.

It was one of 11 cases of COVID-19, which is the medical name for the acute respiratory disease caused by the virus, in France.

The death comes as:

  • A total of 1,525 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus – most in mainland China but one each in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan
  • 67,079 cases have been confirmed since the virus started in mid-December in Wuhan, with 63,866 in mainland China, according to data collected by Johns Hopkins University and the World Health Organisation
  • There were 5,090 suspected new cases recorded in mainland China, Chinese authorities said on Friday

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