Qatar today confirmed the first case of nCoV infection, bringing the total number of countries and territories to the Covid-19 outbreak to 61.

Qatar's health ministry said the patient was a 36-year-old man who had just returned from Iran and is currently in stable health. Following a statement from Qatar, Saudi Arabia is now the only Gulf state to not record any positive cases for nCoV.

The country most heavily affected by the Covid-19 epidemic in the region was Iran, with 43 deaths and nearly 600 infections. Most nCoV infections in the region have been to Iran or had contact with people already in Iran.

The Covid-19 epidemic has appeared in 61 countries and territories after the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, causing more than 85,000 people infected and nearly 3,000 died. WHO yesterday raised the risk of Covid-19's spread from "high" to a "very high" level, due to an increase in "very worrying" cases and affected countries.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus earlier warned all countries must be prepared for the first cases of nCoV. "No country is subjective that they will not have cases. It could be a deadly mistake. This virus has no borders," Tedros said.