China's Foreign Ministry said 27 foreign nationals in the country were infected with the corona virus, of which two died.

"As of 8 am this morning, a total of 27 cases of foreign nationals were infected with the new strain of corona virus (nCoV)," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Canh Shuang said at a press conference in Beijing today. An American citizen died on February 6 and a Japanese citizen died on February 8.

Canh added that three of the infected cases were cured and discharged.

The US embassy in Beijing on Monday confirmed a 60-year-old citizen of the country died of nCoV infection in Wuhan, but declined to elaborate on respect for the privacy of the deceased's family. On the same day, Japan's Foreign Ministry also announced that a 60-year-old citizen of the country had died in Wuhan.

An outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, in December killed 910 people and more than 40,000 cases, mainly in China. The epidemic has now spread to 26 countries and territories around the world.