S. Korea reports first death of doctor from COVID-19

A physician infected with the novel coronavirus died early Friday morning in Daegu, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

It is the first known death of a medical professional from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

The doctor, 60, had been hospitalized at Kyungbook National University Hospital upon his diagnosis on March 19. He was believed to have contracted the pathogen from a patient who visited his clinic.

An erroneous report by a Korean news agency said he had died yesterday, when he was still in critical condition.

South Korea’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 10,062 as of midnight Thursday. The death toll reached 174.


From news reports (khnews@heraldcorp.com)