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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it erroneously identified the first patient to die from the coronavirus as a female.

"CDC erroneously identified the patient as a female in a briefing earlier today with the President and Vice President," CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a tweet, referring to a press conference that was held earlier Saturday at the White House.

The tweet came after Gov. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) announced the first death in the United States from the coronavirus, which took place in Washington state.

At his news conference earlier, President Trump had described the victim as a woman in her late 50s.  

"Unfortunately one person passed away overnight. She was a wonderful woman, a medically high-risk patient in her late 50s," Trump told reporters in the White House briefing room. 

Washington state officials later described the person as a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions. 

Alex Azar, Anthony S. Fauci, Mike Pence, Donald Trump, Jerome Adams standing next to a man in a suit and tie: CDC erroneously identified first patient to die from coronavirus as female © Getty Images CDC erroneously identified first patient to die from coronavirus as female

Officials have so far announced four cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. with unknown origins, meaning it is possible the virus is spreading among the general public in some areas. That includes two cases in California, one in Oregon and one in Washington state.

To combat a possible outbreak of the coronavirus in the U.S., Trump on Saturday announced further restrictions on travel from Iran and said he was considering closing the southern border

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