TORONTO -- Newfoundland and Labrador has confirmed 13 new positive cases of COVID-19 and recorded its first death related to the coronavirus.

The province's chief medical officer of health, Janice Fitzgerald, said Monday that the person was 78 years old and had underlying health issues.

The case was linked to funeral services held earlier this month at the Caul's Funeral Home in St. John's, where officials believe more than 100 other cases originate.

Fitzgerald implored people of the province to continue adhering to physical distancing measures as she announced the new provincial tally of 148 COVID-19 cases.

“I know how difficult this is for everyone, but your actions will make a difference," she said at a news conference.

Ninety of the confirmed cases involve people under the age of 60. ​Just nine have been admitted to hospital, with two in intensive care.

Newfoundland and Labrador, which recorded its first presumptive case of COVID-19 on March 14, is now the first Atlantic province to record a death related to the coronavirus. There are more than 340 confirmed cases in the Atlantic region.