A US citizen has died in the Chinese city of Wuhan, in what appeared to be the first death of an American from the coronavirus outbreak, according to the New York Times.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” spokesman for the embassy said. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment.”
According to reports, the American was about 60 years old, he died on Thursday.
The new strain of coronavirus – 2019-nCoV – was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, located in the province of Hubei, in December and has since spread to more than 25 countries. In mainland China, the virus has already left 722 people dead and over 34,000 infected.
Last week, the World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in light of the outbreak.
