The first U.S. case of a new coronavirus strain that has killed at least nine people in China has been reported in Washington state, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.

The deadly virus, which Chinese health officials have said can spread by human-to-human contact, has sickened hundreds of people, according to the mayor of Chinas central city of Wuhan, where an outbreak is underway. Exported cases of the illness also have been confirmed in Thailand, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

China said that as of midnight on Tuesday, 440 people had been infected in the country. Officials said nine people had died, all in Hubei province where the virus was first reported.

The male U.S. patient is a resident of Snohomish County, Washington. He was hospitalized last week in Everett with pneumonia after returning from a trip to Wuhan, health officials said at a news conference.