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First American Dies of Coronavirus in Wuhan

More than 700 other people have died in the outbreak.

The coronavirus outbreak has claimed its first American victim. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing confirmed that a 60-year-old U.S. citizen died in quarantine in a hospital in Wuhan after contracting the deadly virus. It is not known if the citizen was a resident of China or just visiting when he fell ill. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a U.S. Embassy spokesman told Reuters. “Out of the respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment.” The New York Times reported that the victim may be a woman who had underlying health conditions. A Japanese man in his 60s also died of symptoms consistent with the disease in quarantine in Wuhan, but he had not tested positive, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said Saturday. There are 17 foreigners being treated for coronavirus in Wuhan, according to Reuters. The death toll in mainland China rose by 86 to 722 on Saturday.