Burkina Faso confirms first two cases of coronavirus

Burkina Faso has confirmed its first two cases of the novel coronavirus, local media reported Monday.

The two patients are a couple, the wife having recently returned from France, a report said, quoting Health Minister Claudine Lougue.

Lougue added that the patients were quarantined in a local hospital in the capital Ouagadougou.

A third person who was in close contact with the couple is under observation, according to the report.

At least 109,578 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, have been reported worldwide as of Monday, an increase of 3,994 infections from the previous day, according to a coronavirus update released by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Of the 3,994 new infections, 3,949 were outside China, according to the WHO.

Besides Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Albania and Paraguay reported cases of COVID-19 for the first time as of Monday, bringing the total number of countries and regions affected by the coronavirus to around 105.

Burkina Faso has become the latest African country to report coronavirus cases after Cameroon, Senegal, South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Togo and Egypt, which on Sunday reported the first coronavirus fatality on the content.