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Oman's first MERS coronavirus patient died in hospital on Sunday from lung failure, state news agency ONA said. The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which can cause coughing, fever and pneumonia, emerged in Saudi Arabia last year and has been reported in Qatar, France, Germany, Italy, Tunisia and Britain. ONA quoted the Health Ministry as saying the 68-year-old man, who was admitted to hospital last month in the oasis town of Nizwa, southwest of Muscat, had been suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, among other complaints. The English-language Oman Observer said last month the man had contracted the virus after contact with someone from outside the country.