WASHINGTON – A woman has died from coronavirus in Washington, making it the first reported death in the United States.

President Donald Trump said the patient who died was a woman in her late 50s with a “high medical risk”.

Trump said 22 people in the U.S. have been infected by the virus and additional cased in the country are likely but added that healthy Americans should be able to recover if they contract COVID-19.

The Trump Administration took early action on coronavirus—a choice that bought time and saved lives. pic.twitter.com/XNwsUqzGKV

— The White House 45 Archived (@WhiteHouse45) February 29, 2020

The president added that he is considering closing the U.S. border with Mexico to guard against the spread of the virus.

More than 85,000 coronavirus cases have been reported around the world and almost 3,000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of infections and deaths are in China, where the virus emerged late last year.

The list of countries touched by the illness has climbed to nearly 60 as Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Iceland and the Netherlands reported their first cases.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the spread of the virus is “getting bigger”.