Syria’s health ministry has said that a woman who died after being rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment was found to have been infected by coronavirus in the country’s first officially reported death from the disease, according to Reuters.

Syria has also said its confirmed cases rose to nine from an earlier five cases, but medics and witnesses say there are many more.

While officials deny a cover-up, they have imposed a lockdown and draconian measures including a nationwide night curfew to stem the pandemic.

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