67-year-old becomes Argentina's first female death from coronavirus

A 67-year-old woman has become Argentina's fourth fatal victim of the Covid-19 coronavirus, officials said Saturday.

The woman died of "multi-organ failure" at 6.30am in Luján, the Buenos Aires Province Health Ministry confirmed, after having been held under quarantine since Friday.

"To date, in Argentina the total number of confirmed cases is 158. With this death, there would be four deaths from this problem in the country," said the provincial Health Ministry in a statement.

The woman is the first female patient to die from the virus in Argentina – the first three fatalities were all men aged over 60, falling into the World Health Organisation's risk group.

From San Andrés de Giles, in Buenos Aires Province, she entered the private Güemes Clinic in Luján on Wednesday, where she was diagnosed and placed under quarantine.

The clinic reportedly has another two patients infected with coronavirus, according to local reports.

On Friday – the first day of a nationwide lockdown that will run until March 31 – health officials reported that 30 new patients had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

– TIMES/AFP