American in Wuhan, China dies of coronavirus, reported to be 1st US citizen killed in fast-moving outbreak

A US citizen has died of coronavirus in China, according to the country’s embassy. The patient succumbed to the disease in Wuhan – the epicenter of the epidemic which has already spread to more than 20 countries.

“We can confirm that a 60-year-old US citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at a hospital in Wuhan, China, on February 6,” an embassy spokesman told AFP. The US citizen was a woman with underlying health conditions, according to sources cited by the New York Times.

The news comes as Japan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that a Japanese national died from pneumonia in Wuhan. The man was suspected of being infected with coronavirus.

The number of deaths from the outbreak has surpassed 700 so far. The virus has spread worldwide to almost 30 countries.

Governments have been scrambling to contain the epidemic, with multiple states banning direct flights from China. Strict quarantine regimes were implemented for citizens returning from the country.

China itself has put several cities on lockdown, in what has effectively become a quarantine for tens of millions of people.

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