Yemen confirmed its first coronavirus case Friday, in the southern oil-rich region of Hadhramout.
Yemen’s supreme national emergency committee for COVID-19 posted the announcement on Twitter, also saying, without giving details, that "the individual is stable and receiving medical attention” and that medical teams and the authorities had taken necessary measures.
U.N. officials have been concerned that if the virus spreads in the country, the impact would be "catastrophic," as the health care system for at least half the population is "very degraded" and the country lacks sufficient supplies, capabilities and facilities.
The news followed a nationwide cease-fire declared Thursday in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement announced the halt of military operations for two weeks, but the Houthis have yet to agree.
Violence has continued almost uninterrupted in the county since the Iran-backed Houthis overthrew the government in late 2014, which prompted the Saudi-led coalition to intervene.
The 5-year-old conflict has taken more than 100,000 Yemeni lives, while millions of people there are suffering from malnutrition.
