TALLINN, February 27. /TASS/. The first coronavirus case has been confirmed in Estonia, the country’s Minister of Social Affairs Tanel Kiik told ETV on Thursday.

"A report came in this morning that the first case of the infection was identified yesterday," he said. "The patient is a permanent Estonian resident but not a citizen. The Health Department will provide more detailed information," the minister added.

According to Kiik, the person infected with the novel coronavirus returned from Iran on Wednesday night. "As far as I know, he is an Iranian national," he added.

Coronavirus outbreak

In late December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the World Health Organization (WHO) about the outbreak of a previously unknown pneumonia in the city of Wuhan, central China. Coronavirus cases have been reported in 50 countries and territories, including Russia.

According to Chinese authorities, over 78,400 people have been infected with the virus in the country. The death toll has passed 2,700, while more than 32,400 patients have recovered.

The WHO declared the outbreak of the novel coronavirus a global health emergency and named the virus COVID-19.