DOHA  

Qatar's Health Ministry confirmed 44 new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, bringing the country’s total to 634.

In a statement, the ministry said that while some of the cases originated from abroad, others were contacts of people who had been diagnosed with the virus.

On Saturday, Qatar confirmed the first death in the country from the coronavirus.

The novel coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, was first detected in Wuhan, China in December. There are currently more than 721,000 cases worldwide and nearly 34,000 deaths with over 149,000 recoveries, according to U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University.

Despite the severity of the virus, most people experience mild symptoms and recover.