Coronavirus: US, Australia and Thailand report first deaths

The United States, Australia and Thailand have reported their first coronavirus death when two frontline doctors in China died and many countries have banned large gatherings and restricted travel.

A 35-year-old male retailer in Thailand died of Covid-19, according to the country's disease control department on Sunday. The man also tested positive for dengue. In Australia, a 78-year-old man on the Diamond Princess cruise ship died in a hospital in Western Australia. His wife is also infected with the virus.

On Saturday, US officials said a man in his 50s in Washington state died after being screened for the disease on Thursday. The authorities said they did not know how he got the virus because he had no history of moving to the affected areas or contacting known Covid-19 cases.

On Sunday, China reported the sharpest increase in new cases in a week with 573 new cases, the highest daily increase in a week. Chinese health authorities reported 35 new deaths on Sunday, down from 47 days earlier.

A 32-year-old doctor named Zhong Jinxing in southern Guangxi province was reported to have died from overwork on Friday after working for 33 consecutive days. Another doctor, Jiang Xue Khanh, 55, died Sunday after becoming infected with Covid-19, according to Chinese state media.

MW