78-year-old is Australia’s first coronavirus fatality

SYDNEY, Australia  — A 78-year-old man evacuated from the coronavirus-stricken Diamond Princess cruise liner in Japan died in a Perth hospital Sunday, becoming Australia’s first fatality from the disease, officials said.

The man died in the early hours of Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for the Western Australian state health department told AFP.

His 79-year-old wife was also infected with the disease during the cruise and remains in a Perth hospital.