U.S. COVID-19 cases top 30,000, first deaths reported in Czech Republic, Afghanistan, Romania

The world is now in battle against the common threat of the COVID-19 pandemic, a disease caused by a previously unknown coronavirus that has spread to over 180 countries and regions around the world.

The following are the latest updates on the contagious illness.

WASHINGTON — At least 254,000 Americans have so far been tested and received results for coronavirus and more than 30,000 have tested positive, said U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Sunday.

Those numbers do not include local hospitals or private labs that have conducted tests, Pence told a White House daily briefing.

The total number of deaths from COVID-19 in the United States surpassed 400 by 5:30 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time on Sunday (2130 GMT), according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

GABORONE — Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi has gone into self-isolation for a period of fourteen days starting March. 21, 2020, following his trip to Namibia, according to a statement issued by Botswana Office of the President on Sunday.

RABAT — Moroccan King Mohammed VI on Sunday ordered the military to turn over all its medical facilities and staff, as part of the government’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

The king has urged the civil and military doctors to work in harmony and share intelligence, in the battle to protect the health of Moroccans and foreigners in Morocco, the Moroccan Royal cabinet said in a statement.

RAMALLAH — Israel has decided to transfer around 33 million U.S. dollars to the Palestinian Authority to stem the COVID-19 outbreak, Palestinian sources said Sunday.

The decision came following a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli finance ministers last week over the means to fight COVID-19, according to the sources.

PRAGUE — Czech Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed the first death from COVID-19 in the country as the total confirmed cases exceeded 1,000.

The victim, aged 95, was hospitalized in Prague’s Na Bulovce hospital on Friday, according to the ministry.

DAMASCUS — The Syrian Health Ministry on Sunday confirmed the first novel coronavirus case in the country, state TV reported.

The person who was infected with coronavirus came from abroad, said the Health Ministry. All needed measures to deal with the case have been adopted, it added.

BERLIN — German Chancellor Angela Merkel has put herself in quarantine after a doctor she met Friday tested positive for coronavirus, government spokesman Steffen Seibert said Sunday.

Merkel was informed after a press conference that the doctor who gave her a pneumococcal vaccination was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

ATHENS — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a nationwide lockdown on Sunday as part of measures to contain the further spread of the novel coronavirus, in an address broadcast live on public broadcaster ERT.

The measure takes effect from Monday 6:00 a.m. local time (0400 GMT), he said. All unnecessary movement of people is prohibited.

MAPUTO — Mozambique registered on Sunday the first confirmed case of COVID-19, said the Minister of Health Armindo Tiago.

Providing the information at a press conference this afternoon in Maputo, the health minister revealed that the patient is of Mozambican nationality and is a 70-year-old man, who recently returned from the UK in the middle of this month.

KABUL — Afghan Ministry of Public Health on Sunday confirmed the first death from COVID-19 as the total cases soared to 34 across the war-torn country.

“A 40-year patient was lost due to complication caused by COVID-19 infection in northern Balkh province,” Wahid Mayar, spokesman of the ministry, said in a statement.

BUCHAREST — Romania on Sunday recorded the first two deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, as the total confirmed cases rose to 433.

“Today, March 22, the first two deaths were recorded in the territory of Romania of patients infected with the new type of coronavirus,” said the Strategic Communication Group, the government agency authorized to publish information on COVID-19.