Egypt confirms first coronavirus death

CAIRO

Egypt confirmed the first fatality due to the coronavirus in the country after a German citizen died of the disease on Sunday.

Cairo had previously announced that COVID-19 had been detected in 33 people on a tourist ship in the country's south, including three Egyptian nationals.

First detected in Wuhan, China in December, the disease, officially known as COVID-19, has spread to more than 80 countries.

The global death toll is nearly 3,500, and over 100,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As part of efforts to contain the outbreak, governments have closed borders and suspended land and air travel with the worst-hit countries.

After declaring the outbreak an international health emergency in January, last month the WHO updated the global risk level to "very high."