A United States citizen has died from the coronavirus in what appears to be the first American death from the disease, The New York Times reports.
Per the United States Embassy in Beijing, the patient died on Tuesday in Wuhan, China. Not much is known about the citizen yet except that the person was close to 60 years of age.
"We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss," an embassy spokesperson said. "Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment."
As of Friday, the coronavirus has infected more than 34,000 people in 24 countries. The virus has killed close to 700 people and the patients range from 22 to 92, with the average age being around 56 years old. Additionally, the doctor who sounded the alarm about the virus, Dr. Li Wenliang, has died from the illness.
China seems to want to handle the coronavirus on its own. For about a month, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been offering to send assistance to China. But the country has yet to extend a formal invitation. The World Health Organization requested to help China monitor the outbreak and received a similar response.
