Uzbek doctor, 39, dies after coronavirus self-treatment

A doctor in Uzbekistan died on Saturday after unsuccessfully trying to treat a coronavirus infection that he kept secret, the Central Asian nation's healthcare ministry said.

The 39-year-old man had been in contact with Uzbek "patient zero", it said in a statement, who appeared to have infected him.

He was hospitalised on March 26 in grave condition and died two days later, becoming the second coronavirus patient to die in the former Soviet republic.

Uzbekistan has confirmed 104 cases of the virus and has locked down all of its provinces and barred citizens from leaving their homes except for work or essential shopping.