World on alert as multiple countries report first coronavirus cases

Multiple countries across the world reported their first confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 12 hours. 

These countries are: 

Netherlands 

Nigeria 

Lithuania 

Belarus 

New Zealand

The deadly infection has now reached every continent besides Antarctica after Brazil confirmed a case on Tuesday.

As of Friday afternoon, there have been over 4,400 coronavirus cases confirmed outside China with at least 67 deaths reported.

South Korea has confirmed the most coronavirus cases outside China, totaling 2,022. In Italy, the outbreak continued to worsen, with at least 650 confirmed cases reported.

At least 270 cases were confirmed in Iran with the death toll reaching 26. The country's vice president and deputy health minister were both infected while its former Ambassador to Vatican Hadi Khosroshahi on Thursday died of the novel coronavirus infection.

Meanwhile, China reported only nine new cases of the novel coronavirus amid the global spread on Thursday outside of Hubei Province.