Coronavirus claims first victim in Tunisia

A 66-year-old Tunisian man died from Coronavirus on Monday following a trip to Saudi Arabia, which is the first death case in Tunisia, La Presse newspaper reported Tuesday. The man who had been shortly hospitalized at a local hospital in the town of Monastir in central Tunisia, suffered from severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) before his death, the report said. The man has just travelled to Saudi Arabia and later to Qatar to visit relatives living there, according to the newspaper. Two of his family members have also been infected, but their lives are not in danger after treatment. All his family members will remain under medical surveillance. Tunisian medical authorities have launched a nationwide campaign to warn the population of the dangerous virus and to take steps to prevent its propagation. They also issued a statement on Monday advising people to stay away from those who return from the small pilgrimage (Omra) in Saudi Arabia with influenza symptoms.