Taiwan recorded its first death this Sunday, February 16, from the new coronavirus, a 61-year-old taxi driver, while the number of deaths linked to the covid-19 disease is approaching 1,700 in mainland China.
Read also: Coronavirus: nearly 1,700 dead in China, one death in France, one in Taiwan
The central Taiwanese man, who already suffered from health problems but had not recently traveled abroad, died in hospital after a positive coronavirus test, authorities said.
He was a " taxi driver without a license." Its main customers were people who went to China, Hong Kong and Macau, "Taiwanese Minister of Health Chen Shih-chung told reporters.
The minister assured that the authorities were studying the list and the travel history of the taxi driver's customers in order to identify the carrier of the virus.
Read also: Coronavirus: for experts, the world is on the brink of a pandemic
A 50-year-old man, a family member of the victim, also contracted Covid-19 disease, with no symptoms, said the minister.
20 people infected in Taiwan
Taiwan has confirmed that the number of infected people on its territory is 20.
A thousand Taiwanese are awaiting repatriation from the Chinese province of Hubei, the cradle of the epidemic. Beijing and Taipei accuse each other of " political manipulation ", which delays the evacuation of Taiwanese nationals.
On February 3, Taiwan repatriated 247 people on a China Eastern Airlines flight from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei. The progress of this evacuation had given rise to disagreements between Taipei and Beijing.
The relationship between the two countries is complicated, Beijing sees the Taiwanese as its own citizens and not as foreigners.
The Taiwanese taxi driver who died on Sunday is the fifth victim of the coronavirus outside of China. Previous victims have been recorded in the Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan and France.
Read also: Coronavirus in France: 1 death, 4 cured, 7 hospitalized