Coronavirus latest: first deaths reported in Singapore, Bondi Beach closed
- A 75-year-old Singaporean woman and 64-year-old Indonesian man are the first Covid-19 fatalities in Singapore
- Australian officials closed Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach as thousands of people defied social distancing orders
The city of Wuhan registered no new cases of Covid-19 for a third day in a row – after reporting its first case in December in an outbreak that has gone on to infect more than 250,000 people around the world and kill about 11,000 people.
Here are the latest developments:
Singapore’s first coronavirus deaths
The first patient, a 75-year-old Singaporean woman, had a history of chronic heart disease and hypertension. She had been admitted to the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID) on February 23 for pneumonia, and tested positive for Covid-19 infection that day.
“She developed serious complications and eventually succumbed to the infection after 26 days in the ICU on March 21 at 7.52am,” the ministry said.
The Indonesian man was admitted in critical condition to the ICU at NCID on March 13, and was confirmed to have Covid-19 the following day. He developed complications and died after spending nine days in ICU. “Prior to his arrival in Singapore on March 13, he had been hospitalised in Indonesia for pneumonia, and had a history of heart disease,” the ministry statement said.
Singapore Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said the ministry and NCID were extending assistance to the families. “I understand that Singaporeans will be affected by this news. But we must take courage and continue to play our part to fight this virus,” he said.