First coronavirus related death reported in Hong Kong
Kathmandu, February 4
Hong Kong reported its first death in the coronavirus outbreak Tuesday.
According to Cable TV, the 39-year-old patient is only the second person outside of mainland China to die after contracting the new virus.
As per the earlier information released by the Hong Kong government, the patient had a pre-existing illness and was admitted to the hospital on January 31.
Bloomberg news-portal reported that he had traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city at the epicenter of the outbreak, via high-speed rail on January 21 and returned to Hong Kong two days later.
Hong Kong has 15 confirmed coronavirus cases and is on the front lines of the now-global battle to contain the illness. There have been 425 deaths, the vast majority in Hubei province, where Wuhan is located.
Earlier this week, a 44-year-old died in the Philippines after contracting the virus.
The death will likely put further pressure on Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor to shut the border with China—a demand of thousands of striking local medical workers.
