MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th February, 2020) The first case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been confirmed in New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Friday.
"I do want to inform you that I have just received confirmation that the suspected case of coronavirus that we reported earlier today has been confirmed as a case of coronavirus," Ardern said, as broadcast by the national 1 news broadcaster.
According to the prime minister, the infected person, who is in their 60s, is currently in Auckland Hospital in a "stable, improving condition."
The minister added that the person was a permanent resident of New Zealand who had recently traveled with family to Iran and returned home country earlier this week.
To date, the epidemic has already infected over 83,300 people worldwide, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,850 people. Over a third of the people who contracted the disease have since been cured.
