Italian, Mideast outbreaks lead to more deaths

Video Credit: Reuters Studio
Published on February 24, 2020 - Duration: 01:50s

Italian, Mideast outbreaks lead to more deaths

A sixth person has died in the coronavirus outbreak in northern Italy it was announced on Monday, while the number of confirmed cases rose to more than 220.

Meanwhile infections in Iran appear to be spreading to neighbors.

Adam Reed reports.


Italian, Mideast outbreaks lead to more deaths

Outbreaks of the coronavirus outside of Asia are continuing to grow, leading to more deaths particularly in Italy and the Middle East.

Italian authorities on Monday (February 24) reported at least six fatalities from the virus, and about a dozen small towns near Milan have been put into effective quarantine.

All of the dead there were elderly persons known to have severe previous health issues.

Infected victims with such problems are known to be particularly at risk.

Venice's famed annual carnival has been cut short.

A number of top division Italian soccer matches were postponed on Sunday (February 23) including Inter Milan's fixture at home to Sampdoria.

With over 200 cases, Italy has the highest concentration of the virus in Europe.

This past weekend the World Health Organization again voiced its concern over the number of infections without a clear link to China where the outbreak began.

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, an outbreak in Iran seems to be spreading to its neighbors.

There have been at least 12 people killed in that country from the disease and dozens more infected, according to Iranian authorities.

Nearby Iraq reported its first known case on Monday in an Iranian student who'd traveled there for religious studies.

Kuwait and Bahrain announced their first cases as well, all people who'd recently been in Iran.

Part of the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border has been closed.

The UAE, a major travel hub for the region, has also reported over a dozen cases -- including among Iranian tourists.

Asia remains the epicenter, where in China alone 77,000 have been infected, cities with millions of people in them on lockdown, and over 2,500 dead.

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