Uzbekistan reports first coronavirus death

By Bahtiyar Abdulkerimov

TASHKENT (AA) - Uzbekistan on Friday announced its first death from the coronavirus.

The country’s Health Ministry said a 72-year-old woman succumbed to the disease, marking the first death in the country.

The number of confirmed cases reached 83, with 18 new cases, the ministry said.

In a statement, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that 11 of the infected persons are doctors and health workers.

He noted that all the medical supplies needed for the fight against the coronavirus will be purchased “as soon as possible”.

The government has announced that hospital workers, who are infected with COVID-19, will be paid $10,000, and those who failed to respond to the treatment will be paid $26,000 for once.

After emerging in Wuhan, China last December, the coronavirus has spread to at least 176 countries and regions. The World Health Organization has declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic.

The number of confirmed cases worldwide has now surpassed 533,400, while the death toll is above 24,000 and more than 122,700 have recovered, according to data compiled by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the rising number of cases, most people who contract the virus suffer only mild symptoms before making a recovery.

* Writing by Sena Guler