"Two cases that were suspected yesterday have been confirmed by tests. So, there are six coronavirus cases in Belarus - four in Minsk and two in the Vitebsk Region," according to the ministry.

MINSK, March 4. /TASS/. Two more novel coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Belarus, bringing the total number to six, the country’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday.

Earlier, the ministry noted that more than 5,000 tests had been carried out by the Republican Research and Practical Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology.

The Belarusian Health Ministry reported the first coronavirus case on February 28. A student from Iran tested positive for COVID-19 and later a man who had contacted with him also contracted the virus. On March 1, the ministry confirmed that a woman from Vitebsk, who had returned from Italy, was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously known as 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s Wuhan, a large trade and industrial center with a population of 12 million, in late December. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, describing it as an epidemic with multiple locations. Besides China, major coronavirus outbreaks have been reported in South Korea, Iran and Italy. More than 70 countries, including Russia, have reported confirmed coronavirus cases.

According to the latest reports, the death toll has exceeded 3,200, including more than 2,900 in China, which accounts for the majority of the novel coronavirus cases. Over 50,000 patients have recovered, while the total number of infected people has exceeded 90,000.