UPDATE - Lebanon confirms first death from COVID-19

UPDATES NUMBER OF CORONAVIRUS CASES

By Mahmut Geldi

BEIRUT (AA) - The first death from the novel coronavirus has been reported in Lebanon as health officials confirmed 11 news cases Tuesday, putting the total number of confirmed cases in the country at 52.

A Lebanese citizen was found to be infected five days after returning from Egypt, Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan told state television.

Beirut's Rafik Hariri State Hospital announced Monday it found nine new cases of the fatal virus, known as COVID-19.

The hospital said out of 122 tests, only nine people tested positive.

The global death toll from the virus surpassed 4,000, with more than 114,000 confirmed cases.

According to Worldometer, a website that compiles new case numbers, the virus has spread to more than 115 countries and territories, including 7,513 in South Korea, 9,172 in Italy, 7,161 in Iran, 530 in Japan, 1,412 in France, 729 in the U.S. and 321 in the U.K.

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries.

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom said Monday that with the virus present in so many countries, the threat of a pandemic had "become very real."

* Writing by Zehra Nur Duz