U.S. citizen diagnosed with coronavirus dies in Wuhan, China, reports say

A U.S. citizen diagnosed with the coronavirus has died in Wuhan, China, in what appears to be the first American fatality from the global outbreak, according to reports.

“We can confirm a 60-year-old U.S. citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintian Hospital in Wuhan, China on Feb. 6,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Beijing said, according to NBC News. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.” 

The New York Times first reported the American’s death in Wuhan.

On Saturday, China increased the death toll to 722 on the mainland and announced that another 3,399 people had been diagnosed over the last 24 hours, reversing two days of declines, and raising the total accumulated number of cases to 34,546.

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The announcement comes as China’s ruling Communist Party faced public backlash following the death of a Chinese doctor who was reprimanded by the security police for warning fellow doctors about the initial outbreak.

Li Wenliang, 34, an ophthalmologist at Wuhan Central Hospital, contracted the virus while treating patients, and his death was confirmed early Friday. Li, one of eight medical professionals in Wuhan who tried to warn colleagues and others when the government did not, had said that police forced him to sign a statement admitting he spread falsehoods.

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Contributing: Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY; Associated Press

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