TASS, March 1. The first case of infection with a new coronavirus has been registered in Armenia, the country’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, about two hours ago, we learned about the first infected person. The patient is 29 years old, he arrived with his wife from Iran on February 28," Pashinyan wrote on Facebook.

The Armenian Prime Minister noted that the infected person came to the hospital and passed a virus test, which showed a positive result. According to him, the condition of the patient is assessed as satisfactory.

"It is important that the spouse of the person infected was tested negative for the virus," the Prime Minister noted. He assured that all people who had contact with the patient would be isolated.

On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 12 million. As of today, more than 50 countries and territories, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

The World Health Organization declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. According to the latest reports, over 79,800 cases of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in China and other countries. The virus’ death toll has hit 2,870, yet about 42,000 patients have recovered from the disease.