S. Korea reports 4th death from novel coronavirus

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea reported the fourth death from the new coronavirus Sunday, with the number of confirmed virus cases here surpassing 500.

The latest victim of the potentially fatal illness was a 57-year-old patient at Daenam Hospital in the southeastern city of Cheongdo, where the country's first COVID-19 fatality took place, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).

South Korea reported its first death on Feb. 19, when a 63-year-old man died of pneumonia at the same hospital. He tested positive for COVID-19 after his death.

On Friday, another virus patient in her mid-50s died at Daenam Hospital.

So far, over 100 patients at the hospital, as well as nine medical staff, have been confirmed to be infected with COVID-19.

Investigations are under way to determine the cause of the third death reported from Gyeongju, 371 kilometers south of Seoul, on Saturday.

colin@yna.co.kr
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