Philippines on Sunday February 2, announced the first coronavirus death outside China and two new cases of the flu-like virus.
The deceased is said to be a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan in Hubei province, the epicenter of the outbreak. Philippines Health Ministry said the Chinese man developed severe pneumonia after being admitted to a government hospital in Manila on January 25. He is also the companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman who is from Wuhan and the first to test positive for the virus in the Philippines.
Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the World Health Organization representative to the Philippines told newsmen;
“This is the first reported death outside China/
“However, we need to take into mind that this is not a locally acquired case. This patient came from the epicenter of this outbreak.”
China also announced that the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak reached 304 as of the end of Saturday. The country’s National Health Commission further revealed that it has recorded 14,000 coronavirus cases.
