Uzbekistan's coronavirus cases reach 23

By Trend

Five more Uzbek citizens have tested coronavirus-positive, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 23, Trend reports citing the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan.

According to the ministry, a few more relatives and a number colleagues of the Uzbek woman who returned from France on March 15 were found to be infected.

The woman was the first person to test coronavirus-positive in the country. The Ministry of Health later said that her son and daughter also tested coronavirus-positive.

The outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan - which is an international transport hub - began at a fish market in late December 2019. The number of people killed by the disease has surpassed 9,000. Over 222,000 people have been confirmed as infected. Meanwhile, over 84,000 people have reportedly recovered.

Some sources claim the coronavirus outbreak started as early as November 2019. Several countries are working on a vaccine against the new virus.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11 declared COVID-19 a pandemic.