The first fatality from the novel coronavirus has been confirmed on US soil, as President Donald Trump urged Americans not to panic, AFP reported.
Health officials said the man who died in Washington state was one of a handful with no known links to global hot zones to have contracted the virus — indicating that the pathogen was now likely spreading in communities.
The death occurred in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people, officials told AFP.
The victim was in his 50s and had "underlying health conditions," said public health officer for Seattle and King County Jeff Duchin.
