SOFIA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria has confirmed the first four cases of COVID-19, local authorities said Sunday, as the caseload in Europe is surging to over 6,000 and has forced Italy to lock down cities.
Of the four confirmed cases, two are in the city of Pleven, 166-km northeast of Bulgaria's capital Sofia, and the other two are in the central northern city of Gabrovo, said Todor Kantardjiev, director of the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, at a press conference here.
Hospitals in Pleven and Gabrovo where the four patients are receiving treatment are in quarantine, said the country's Chief State Health Inspector Angel Kunchev.
Kunchev said earlier that two cases are of unknown origin and the local authorities have been trying to find out the source of infection.
According to the World Health Organization, 101 countries and regions have reported confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Sunday morning, with the caseload reaching 105,427.
In Europe, more than 40 countries and regions have reported over 6,000 confirmed cases. Italy, which is experiencing the biggest coronavirus outbreak in Europe, confirmed a total of 5,883 coronavirus infections on Saturday and was forced to lock down the northern Lombardy region and 14 nearby provinces, including the financial center Milan, in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.
