Number Of COVID-19 Patients In Uzbekistan Reaches 23 - Health Ministry

Five new COVID-19 cases have been registered in Uzbekistan, bringing the overall count to 23, the country's Health Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday

TASHKENT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th March, 2020) Five new COVID-19 cases have been registered in Uzbekistan, bringing the overall count to 23, the country's Health Ministry told Sputnik on Thursday.

On March 15, the first COVID-19 infection was registered in a woman who had returned from France. By Wednesday, the number of infected increased to 18.

"By 10:00 [05:00 GMT] five more people in Uzbekistan have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus," a Health Ministry representative said.

He specified that among the diagnosed are the relatives of a previously infected patient, as well as two people who returned from Istanbul and London last week.

The Uzbek authorities have decided to suspend travel to other countries starting on Monday to prevent the spread of COVID-19.