US citizen dies of coronavirus in Wuhan

The novel coronavirus, which has swept through China and penetrated its borders, continues to take lives.

A US citizen diagnosed with the new coronavirus died in Wuhan, China, on Thursday, the US embassy said in a statement.

“We can confirm a 60-year old US citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintian Hospital in Wuhan, China on February 6. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. Out of the respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment,” it said.

It is the first known American death in an outbreak of a new coronavirus. Wuhan is the center of the epidemic and the capital of Hubei province, where most deaths and confirmed cases are located.