The authorities of Ecuador have confirmed the first case of coronavirus, Reuters reported referring to the country’s health minister.

The patient is an elderly female.

“The patient is currently in intensive care at one of the hospitals we had designated to attend to coronavirus,” Catalina  Andramuño said, adding that the government was monitoring people who may have come into contact with the patient.

An outbreak of coronavirus was recorded at the end of December 2019 in the Chinese Wuhan. The WHO has recognized the outbreak as an emergency of international proportions. The death toll has reached 2,924, worldwide. And 85,212 cases have been confirmed, while 39,539 people have recovered. The virus has been recorded in 60 countries.