Kuwait, Bahrain, Afghanistan Report Their First Coronavirus Cases

As the dangerous coronavirus outbreak spread in different countries, the ministries of health in Bahrain, Kuwait, and Afghanistan confirmed their first coronavirus cases.

"Upon arriving on a flight from Iran, a Bahraini national displayed symptoms and was transferred to the Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Medical Center for urgent examination, treatment, and isolation," the country's health ministry said in a statement.

"All citizens and residents who are experiencing COVID19 symptoms, including fever, coughing and breathing difficulties, or those who have traveled to one of the disease-infected countries or interacted with a person traveling from any of those sites or interacted with an infected patient, to isolate themselves," the Ministry said.

Kuwait reported three people who had traveled to Iran have tested positive for coronavirus. The cases, which include a Saudi national, were among 700 people evacuated from Mashad's Iranian city last week, according to the country's state news agency.

Iraq said it closed its Safwan border crossing with Kuwait on Monday, amid fears about the virus spread.

Kuwait started bringing back 750 nationals from Iran last week where 8 people died from coronavirus and 43 are infected.

Afghanistan confirmed its first case of coronavirus in western Herat province on Monday after three suspected cases were announced.

Turkey and Pakistan have now closed their borders with Iran over the coronavirus outbreak among seven nations.

Lebanon announced its first coronavirus case on Thursday after a woman had tested positive after a flight from Qom. Lebanese have expressed their anger over the refusal by the country to cancel flights from Iran on social media channels.

More than 79,000 people have contracted coronavirus since the outbreak started on 31 December in China's Wuhan province.

More than 2,400 people have died from the virus that was identified on Sunday by Chinese leader Xi Jinping as the "largest public health emergency" in China's history.

Most cases are in China, but fears about a global pandemic are increasing as new reports surface from people in Europe and the Middle East testing positively.

Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, cautioned Friday that "the window of opportunity is closing, so we need to act quickly before it fully closes."