World / Vietnam reports its first coronavirus death

HANOI - Vietnam confirmed its first novel coronavirus fatality on Friday, state media reported, after the death of an elderly man who had tested positive in Danang, the city where the virus re-emerged in the country last week after 100 days.

Vietnam is battling a new outbreak of the virus following months of successful countermeasures which saw the country keep its coronavirus tally to just a few hundred cases

The man, 70, died early on Friday, state media said.

Authorities on Friday reported 45 new coronavirus cases, marking the biggest daily jump in the country, bringing the total cases in the country to 509.

Vietnam had until Friday been the only nation with a large population not to have suffered fatalities from the coronavirus pandemic. It reported its first case in late January.