A 69-year-old man died Jan. 16 in Wuhan, China, the city where the pneumonia-like outbreak originated, officials said in a Jan. 17 statement cited by CNN. The man fell ill Dec. 31 and was admitted to a hospital five days later. He suffered abnormal renal function, inflammation of the heart and severe damage to multiple organ functions, including the lungs.
The outbreak first made headlines earlier this month after dozens of people contracted pneumonia from an unknown virus. Officials have since discovered a new strain of coronavirus in 41 of the sickened individuals. Five of those patients are in serious condition, CNN reports. The outbreak’s first death occurred Jan. 9 when a 61-year-old man succumbed to respiratory failure caused by severe pneumonia.
As of Jan. 16, three cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed outside of China. All three patients report traveling to Wuhan, with two cases occurring in Thailand and one detected in Japan.
Infected patients have been linked to the Huanan Wholesale Seafood Market, which was shut down for disinfection Jan. 1.
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