A man who was under self-isolation on suspicion of having contracted COVID-19 in Croatia has died, potentially becoming the first coronavirus-related death in the country, regional health officials confirmed on Wednesday during a press conference aired by state broadcaster HRT
BELGRADE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th March, 2020) A man who was under self-isolation on suspicion of having contracted COVID-19 in Croatia has died, potentially becoming the first coronavirus-related death in the country, regional health officials confirmed on Wednesday during a press conference aired by state broadcaster HRT.
Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Health announced that 81 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country since the start of the outbreak. Five people have recovered after contracting the disease, while roughly 10,000 people are currently in self-isolation, the ministry reported.
"During the night, a 70-year-old man from the village of Brtonigla died. He had no serious symptoms. The man was in contact with an infected person. On Tuesday, after showing symptoms, the man was given the chance to be hospitalized, but he refused," the broadcaster quoted Aleksandar Stojanovic, the head of the Istria County Public Health Department, as saying.
Stojanovic confirmed that further tests would be conducted to confirm whether or not the individual had contracted the disease.
"We cannot right now confirm that the death was caused by the coronavirus disease. We will find out when we get the test results," he stated as quoted by the broadcaster.
Croatian authorities have taken stringent measures to contain the spread of COVID-19. All public events have been canceled, schools were ordered to close for two weeks, and border restrictions have been imposed as ministers rush to prevent the surge of cases observed in other European countries.
