The second fatality from the novel coronavirus on US soil has been confirmed, health officials said Sunday.

The man, who died Saturday, was in his 70s and had "underlying health conditions," according to the public health office in King County, Washington state.

The death occurred Saturday in King County, the most populous in the state and home to Seattle, a city of more than 700,000 people.

It is the second death in both Washington state and King County. The first victim, who died earlier Saturday, was in his 50s and also had "underlying health conditions," according to Jeff Duchin, public health officer for Seattle and King County.

The first victim was one of a handful with no known links to global hot zones to have contracted the virus -- indicating that the pathogen was now likely spreading in communities.