Channel News Asia, 12 Mar 2020

Poland reports first death from COVID-19, to raise epidemic alert level

Poland reported its first death from coronavirus, local authorities in the city of Poznan said on Thursday (Mar 12), as reported by private broadcaster TVN24.

The 57-year-old female teacher, who had recently been hospitalised in critical condition with pneumonia, was put into an artificial coma and on a ventilator but “unfortunately she died not long ago,” Poznan deputy mayor Jedrzej Solarski told reporters.

Poland currently has 46 other confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to the health ministry.

The woman’s husband and daughter are among those hospitalised with coronavirus but their conditions are not critical. Other family members, including the woman’s two sons, have not been infected.

“What we feared over the last few days has come about. We have our first death from the coronavirus,” Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters.

“I offer my condolences to her close ones.”

STATE OF EPIDEMIC THREAT

Poland plans to announce a state of epidemic threat, health minister Lukasz Szumowski said on Thursday.

“Yesterday, the WHO announced a pandemic. Today we will release a decision by the Health Minister regarding the introduction of a state of epidemic threat,” Szumowski told a press conference.

This will allow the government to close chosen places of work or institutions and direct medical workers to places of need, he added.

Outlook India, 12 Mar 2020

It is known that the woman has not recently been abroad and had no contact with a person who would have been suspected to have or having been diagnosed with COVID-19 disease. According to preliminary findings, several days ago she had contact with a person who returned from Italy.