File photo of Jacques Joaquim 

BRAZZAVILLE, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Former President of the Republic of the Congo, Jacques Joaquim Yhombi-Opango, died of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on Monday in Paris at the age of 81, reported the national TV channel Tele Congo on Monday night.

According to the family, the Congolese politician died of COVID-19, but he was ill before contracting the disease, it reported.

Yhombi-Opango ruled the Republic of the Congo from 1977 to 1979.

The central African country declared its first COVID-19 case on March 14 and so far has 19 confirmed cases, mainly in the capital Brazzaville.