Coronavirus news – live: First US case reported as North Korea closes borders over deadly China virus and death toll from outbreak grows
Thew first case of the novel coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China has been confirmed within the borders of the US - with an American citizen in Seattle receiving treatment.
The Centres for Disease Control, the nation’s preeminent health institute, said the man, aged in his 30s, had been been taken to hospital in the town of Everett last week after suffering with pneumonia.
Meanwhile heightened precautions are being taken in China and elsewhere as governments attempt to control the outbreak of a novel coronavirus that is threatening to grow during the Lunar New Year travel rush.
Anxieties around the disease have intensified after it was revealed the virus, which appears to have originated from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, can be spread between humans. Authorities had previously said there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
So far, four people have died, and more than 200 others have been infected.
The risk of the disease spreading has led multiple governments to respond - including North Korea which has reportedly closed off its borders to tourists.
Follow the day's events as they happened below:
