New York: A Chinese tourist died in France after being hospitalized with coronavirus, marking the first death from the illness in Europe, French health officials say.
The man, an 80-year-old visitor from the virus’ epicenter in Hubei province, had been undergoing treatment for the disease since Jan. 25, Reuters reported.
“His condition had quickly worsened and he had been in critical condition for several days,” French Health Minister Agnès Buzyn told the country in a televised statement.
Since originating in the city of Wuhan, Coronavirus has quickly spread around the world with cases reported across Asia, Europe and the America.
Hong Kong, the Philippines and Japan have also reported coronavirus deaths.
The virus has so far killed 1,527 people and sickened 67,186 others. The overwhelming majority remain confined to mainland China, which continues to struggle to contain the outbreak.