Uzbekistan confirms its first coronavirus case

By Aliia Raimbekova, Bahtiyar Abdulkerimov and Davit Kachkachishvili

NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan/TASHKENT/TBILISI, Georgia (AA) - Uzbekistan confirmed on Sunday its first case of coronavirus in the country.

In a statement by the Uzbek Health Ministry, an Uzbek citizen who returned to the country from France was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The ministry listed all people who had close contact with the patient and plans to quarantine them who were on the same flight with the patient.

It was noted that 7,700 people who came from countries where the novel coronavirus has been seen are under quarantine for 14 days in Uzbekistan.

The ministry said 5,600 of those who were under observation completed their quarantine period.

- Number of coronavirus cases reaches eight in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Health Minister Yelzhan Birtanov also announced on Sunday that the number of infected people reached eight in the country.

“One of our citizens came from Italy and the other from South Korea yesterday. Those who arrived on the same planes with patients, except for transit passengers, were hospitalized,” said Birtanov.

Over 1,400 people are in hospitals, while 545 are in self-quarantine, he added.

- One recovers from COVID-19 in Georgia

Head of Tbilisi Hospital of Infectious Diseases Marina Ezugbaia said one of the 30 patients treated in hospitals recovered from the novel coronavirus.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the virus known as COVID-19, has spread to at least 141 countries and territories.

The global death toll from the virus has surpassed 5,700, with more than 152,000 cases confirmed worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

* Writing by Burak Dag in Ankara.