Coronavirus, COVID-19
(Photo : Reuters)

Washington state health officials reported the death of a coronavirus patient in the United States on Saturday, marking the first death in the country from COVID-19.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the death was not associated with a long-term care center in Washington where they are responding to "the first possible outbreak" of the illness.

It's also been reported that over 25 staff members and 27 patients from the facility are reportedly exhibiting symptoms associated with the respiratory illness. The facility houses two confirmed carriers of coronavirus. 

The long-term care facility said they are turning away new patients and visitors, and the patients and staff found "with symptoms or were potentially exposed are quarantined."

The person who died from the global threat coronavirus was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions. Health officials said there was no evidence he contracted the virus through travel. Health officials suspect domestic "community spread" of the disease, a new phase that began this week on the West Coast.

Officials described the man to be chronically ill when he entered as a was a patient at the long-term care center. They also said he was among three new presumptive cases in Washington where they tested positive locally. They are still awaiting confirmation with the CDC.

US diplomatic officials also confirmed the death of a US citizen diagnosed with COVID-19 at Jinyintian Hospital in Wuhan, China on February 6. 

According to an NBC News tally, there are 69 Americans who have so far contracted the virus. 

President Donald Trump held a White House news conference shortly after the announcement of the first U.S. death. He announced the issuance of more travel restrictions and warnings to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Trump also said he is closely monitoring work towards a coronavirus vaccine with pharmaceutical executives.

Jay Inslee, Washington's governor, declared a state of emergency in response to new cases of the virus. He directed state agencies to prepare and respond to the outbreak using all resources necessary.

"This will allow us to get the resources we need," Inslee said. "This is a time to take commonsense, proactive measures to ensure the health and safety of those who live in Washington state."

Vice President Mike Pence said the United States is "all hands on deck" in trying to contain and stop the spread of COVID-19 in the country. 

CDC said the outbreak of coronavirus is not a national spread, but limited to only some communities. 

Illinois county confirms a new patient to be carrying coronavirus, the third case in the county. Officials in Cook country, Illinois said the patient is in isolation. 

In January, Illinois confirmed two cases of COVID-19 on a couple who traveled to Wuhan, China. Both patients made a full recovery.

Health officials also confirmed its fourth coronavirus case in Santa Clara County, California on Saturday. The patient, who is an adult woman, is "not ill" and has not been hospitalized. 

The third case, which was described last week by health officials, involved an older woman with chronic health issues. Officials say she had not traveled out of the country, nor came into close contact with a known carrier. 

There are more than 1,000 new confirmed cases reported outside of China in the last 24 hours. Over 1,500 new cases were reported in the rest of the world, including South Korea, Italy, and Iran. 

There have been 61 deaths and nearly 3,000 recoveries reported. 

Coronavirus has taken the 2,973 lives. A total of 41,000 people have made total recoveries after being infected with the virus.