AN AMERICAN has died of the killer coronavirus in China becoming first US casualty in the global health emergency.
The 60-year-old suffering from the dreaded infection died in the city of Wuhan – the epicenter of the deadly pandemic.
The United States Embassy in Beijing confirmed the victim’s age on Saturday, local time.
The American died at Jinyintan Hospital on February 6, a US embassy spokesman in Beijing said.
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” the spokesman told Reuters.
“Out of the respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment.”
There had been 19 cases of foreigners infected with the coronavirus as of 12 pm on Thursday.
Two had been discharged from hospital and 17 were being quarantined and treated, Hua Chunying, spokeswoman at the Chinese foreign ministry, said.
The news broke as the death toll from the worldwide outbreak surged to 725, according to Sky News.
As the number of infected patients in communist China continues to grow, officials face a backlash from the public.
Another 3,399 people were diagnosed over the last 24 hours, reversing two days of declines, according to the Chinese government.
This raises the total accumulated number of cases in mainland China to 34,546.
American evacuees flew from Wuhan to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska yesterday.
They will be quarantined for two weeks at Camp Ashland, a nearby National Guard training base.
The flight was chartered by the State Department to evacuate Americans and Canadians from Wuhan Tianhe International Airport yesterday.
Pictures emerged of staff wearing hazmat suits as they checked passengers arriving to board a flight wearing protective masks.
The US has reported 12 cases as hundreds more Americans were evacuated from the stricken zone in China.
President Xi Jinping asked President Donald Trump on Friday to “respond reasonably,” indicating the restrictions placed on Chinese travelers were an overreaction.
But after the death of virus whistleblower Dr. Li Wenliang, 34, the party promised a team would “fully investigate relevant issues raised by the public” due to mass outrage.
Even at sea, cruise passengers were affected by the outbreak as Japan reported three more cases for a total of 64 on a quarantined ship and turned away another.
Three more cases were diagnosed in Japan on Saturday among 3,700 passengers and crew on the quarantined Diamond Princess.
Hong Kong began enforcing a 14-day quarantine for arrivals from mainland China on Saturday.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said foreign passengers on another suspected plague ship, Holland America’s Westerdam, won’t be allowed into Japan.
On Friday, the US committed to spending up to $100 million to help China and other countries fight the outbreak.
The government said it helped to donate and deliver nearly 18 tons of medical supplies – including masks, gowns, gauze and respirators – to China.
All but one the deaths in the outbreak have been in China.
Their National Health Commission said about 6,101 of those being treated – nearly 17 percent – are in serious condition.
The vast majority of the infected are in China with roughly 290 others in about two dozen other countries, including Japan, Thailand, Singapore and South Korea.
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552.
