Switzerland Confirms First Death From Coronavirus-Related Complications

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Swiss doctors have confirmed that an elderly patient in the western canton of Vaud has died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), making this the first fatal case for the country, the local police department said on Thursday.

"Thursday, March 5, the CHUV [Vaud University Hospital Center] informed the Cantonal Doctor's Office that a 74-year-old coronavirus patient hospitalized since March 3 died overnight," police said in their official Twitter account, adding that the patient was suffering from a chronic illness.

Switzerland has already confirmed coronavirus cases in more than half of its 26 cantons. The day before, it was reported that Swiss authorities decided to confine all soldiers to their military bases after one of them was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

As of 5 March, more than 95,000 cases of the coronavirus have been reported globally, with more than 3,200 deaths, the vast majority of which were in China’s Hubei Province where the virus originated.

It has already spread to more than 70 countries across the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Nigeria, and others. More than 53,000 people have recovered from the disease.