U.S. officials confirm first U.S. case of China coronavirus

The newly identified coronarvirus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and has spread to Beijing and Shanghai.

A traveler from China has been diagnosed in Seattle with the Wuhan coronavirus, a spokesman from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Tuesday.

Employees of the virology department of the Charite hospital prepare a test for the new coronavirus in Berlin, Germany. (REUTERS)

The news was first reported by CNN.

More details will be released later on Tuesday in a news conference, CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes told Reuters.

The newly identified coronarvirus originated in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, and has spread to Beijing and Shanghai. More than 300 people have been infected so far and six have died, according to Chinese health officials.

Last week, the CDC began screening travelers from China in three U.S. airports. Besides the United States, cases outside of China have been reported in South Korea, Thailand and Japan.