Vatican City reports first confirmed case of Covid-19, Italy reaches death toll of 148

A spokesman said the previous day that the Pope is currently recovering from a common cold.

Jane Zhang | March 06, 2020, 07:06 PM

The Vatican City has reported its first case of Covid-19, reported the Telegraph on Friday, Mar. 6.

The city state's first confirmed case was reportedly a patient at a clinic used by priests and employees, according to spokesman Matteo Bruni, who added the the Vatican has informed Italian health authorities of the case.

After the patient tested positive on Thursday, outpatient services in Vatican clinics were suspended in order to sanitise the areas, but emergency services will continue, said Bruni.

According to CNA, the Vatican is also contacting everyone who passed through the clinic, as per protocol.

This case comes just one day after Vatican News, a news service provided by the Vatican Secretariat for Communication, reported that Bruni said that Pope Francis is recovering from a common cold:

"The cold with which the Holy Father was diagnosed is running its due course. He continues to celebrate Holy Mass daily and follow the Spiritual Exercises, as we have reported in recent days".

He also told reporters that the Vatican is considering ways to avoid spreading Covid-19 in coordination with measures by the Italian authorities, saying, "With regard to the upcoming activities of the Holy Father, the Holy See, and the Vatican City State, measures are being studied to prevent the spread of Covid-19".

As of 11:10pm on Mar. 5, Italy had 3,089 confirmed cases, the most in Europe.

Al Jazeera reported that there had been 41 new deaths from the coronavirus in the country, bringing the total death toll to 148.

Top image by Alan Liu on Unsplash.