The COVID-19 coronavirus has made its way into Vatican City.
The Vatican on Friday confirmed its first case of the new coronavirus, with a spokesperson saying a patient in Vatican City's health facility has tested positive, The Wall Street Journal reports. Outpatient health services at the Vatican have reportedly been temporarily suspended.
Additionally, the Journal reports the Vatican "has also sterilized offices in its Secretariat of State because of a suspected, unverified case of the virus there."
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This comes as the death toll from the new coronavirus in Italy rose to 148. The country has experienced one of the largest outbreaks of the coronavirus with almost 4,000 cases, The Washington Post notes. Globally, the number of coronavirus cases is nearing 100,000.
The Vatican earlier this week said that Pope Francis, who canceled numerous recent events, is suffering from a cold that is "running its course, without symptoms linked to other pathologies." An Italian media report recently suggested the pope had tested negative for the coronavirus, the Journal notes, but this report hasn't been confirmed by the Vatican.
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