08:16

The US, Australia and Thailand have reported their first deaths from coronavirus as two frontline doctors in China died and more countries put in place bans on large gatherings and travel restrictions.

A 35-year-old male retail worker in Thailand died from Covid-19, according to the country’s department of disease control on Sunday. The man had also tested positive for dengue fever. In Australia, a 78-year-old man who was on the Diamond Princess cruise ship died in a hospital in western Australia. His wife has also contracted the virus.

On Saturday, US officials said a man in his 50s in Washington state had died, after being tested for the disease on Thursday. Authorities said they did not know how he had contracted the virus because he did not have any history of travel to affected areas or contact with known Covid-19 cases.

On Sunday, China reported its sharpest increase in new infections in a week with 573 new cases, the highest daily rise in a week. Chinese health authorities reported 35 new deaths on Sunday, a drop from the previous day’s toll of 47.

A 32-year old doctor named Zhong Jinxing in the southern province of Guangxi who reportedly died from “overwork” on Friday after working for 33 consecutive days. Another doctor, Jiang Xueqing, 55, died on Sunday after having been infected with Covid-19, according to Chinese state media.