CHISINAU, March 31. /TASS/. The first death from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been documented in the unrecognized republic of Transnistria, where a 55-year-old resident of Tiraspol has died, Transnistria’s coronavirus task force informed on Tuesday.
"The woman was diagnosed with coronavirus postmortem, after her tests came in. According to medical professionals, the woman was suffering from diabetes, she had a heart condition. The double pneumonia was caused by the coronavirus infection," the message informed.
The task force also informed of the death of a 59-year-old resident of Slobozia, who also died of double pneumonia. Her tests have been sent for analysis, her diagnosis has not been confirmed yet. In total, there are 24 cases of the novel coronavirus in Transnistria.
The number of people infected with COVID-19 in Moldova, including the residents of Transnistria, has reached 298. Three people have died and 18 have recovered. Both Moldova and Transnistria have introduced a state of emergency, closing their borders. Schools, universities and shops have been closed, excluding pharmacies and supermarkets. People are asked to remain at home.
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, in central China. Since then, cases of the novel coronavirus, named COVID-19 by WHO, have been reported in more than 160 countries, including Russia. On March 11, 2020, WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. To date, more than 786,600 people have been infected worldwide and over 37,800 have died, while more than 165,800 have recovered.