First Coronavirus Death Reported in Taiwan, Fifth Outside Mainland China

Mask-clad commuters get off a train at a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stop in Taipei, Taiwan, on Jan. 30, 2020. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

The fifth coronavirus, or COVID-19, death outside of mainland China was confirmed in Taiwan after health officials said a taxi driver succumbed to the mysterious new illness.

Taiwanese Health Minister Chen Shih-Chung confirmed Sunday during a press conference that a 61-year-old man was the island’s first COVID-19 victim. The man had already suffered from diabetes and hepatitis B.