The unnamed man aged 23 from Viqueque, with a history of tuberculosis and was unvaccinated, died when he was about to be transported by air to Dili for treatment, authorities said.

It was unclear if the man had the Delta variant coronavirus which has become the most dominant strain in Timor-Leste.

The young man was one of four COVID-19 deaths reported in Timor-Leste in the past 24 hours. Timor-Leste. The other three fatalities were people in Dili who also had underlying health conditions. 

One was Sinovac, a 69-year-old man, with a history of haemorrhagic brain stroke who was vaccinated and died Thursday morning at the Vera Cruz isolation centre.

A 65-year-old woman died in Dili at the Vera Cruz isolation centre, unvaccinated, with a history of tuberculosis, hypertension and diabetes.

The final victim was a 69-year-old male, also unvaccinated and diagnosed with SIRA and admitted to Guido Valadares National Hospital (HNGV) Thursday.

Timor-Leste also recorded 306 new cases, near a 16-month high reported last week, with most cases in Dili (243) and Baucau (30).