Published 09:43 IST, March 1st 2020
'No reason to panic': Donald Trump on 1st death from Coronavirus in US
President Donald Trump on Saturday held a press conference where he said there is 'no reason to panic' after one citizen died of the coronavirus in the US.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday held a press conference where he said there is 'no reason to panic' after one citizen died of the novel coronavirus earlier in the day. Trump at the briefing said, "We respectfully ask the media and politicians and everybody else involved not to do anything to incite the panic because there's no reason to panic at all." Trump further insisted that the criticism of his administration’s handling of the virus outbreak was a hoax. Trump administration also announced additional travel restrictions affecting Iran, Italy, and South Korea in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
Trump in the conference stated that at this moment there are 22 people with coronavirus cases in the United States and confirmed that one patient passed away overnight. Trump further added that the deceased was a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s, while four others are very ill and 15 have either recovered fully or they are well in their way to recovery. Trump added that additional cases in the United States are likely, but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover.
Coronavirus outbreak
The new coronavirus also known as COVID-19 has claimed more than 2,900 lives across the globe and has infected over 85,000 people since December 2019. According to reports, at least 106 people have died outside mainland China, which makes it the worst disease outbreak in the 21st century. Iran and Italy have reported the most number of deaths outside China due to COVID-19. While Iran confirmed 42 deaths due to the virus, Italy had reported 29 deaths as of February 29. The virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, where animals were being traded illegally. Hubei province in China has been most affected by the contagious disease, which is also the epicentre of the virus.
Image Credit: AP
Updated 09:43 IST, March 1st 2020