MAKHACHKALA, March 27. /TASS/. The first coronavirus case was confirmed in the North Caucasus Republic of Dagestan, the regional branch of Russia’s consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor reported on Friday.
"The first case has been confirmed. A confirmation of the positive test for the coronavirus has come from Rospotrebnadzor’s Anti-Plague Center in Moscow," the regional branch reported.
A Dagestani lawmaker tested positive for the coronavirus. The patient was earlier taken to the republican infectious disease center, Rospotrebnadzor said.
COVID-19 Global Spread
On December 31, 2019, the Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) about an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, an economic and industrial megalopolis with a population of 11 million.
The virus was identified on January 7 as 2019-nCoV. The World Health Organization declared in January that the new coronavirus outbreak was a public health emergency of international concern, characterizing it as an epidemic with multiple locations.
On February 11, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the organization gave the novel coronavirus an official name of COVID-19. On March 11, the World Health Organization officially stated that the continuously spreading novel coronavirus was a global pandemic.
As of today, 199 countries and territories reported confirmed coronavirus cases. According to the latest reports, about 536,700 cases have been confirmed worldwide. The virus’ death toll has exceeded 24,100.
Russia has reported 840 coronavirus cases. Of this number, 38 people have recovered from the disease and two have died.
