An Amazon employee in Seattle has tested positive for the coronavirus, the online giant confirmed to USA TODAY.

The employee, who works in Amazon’s Brazil building near downtown Seattle, went home sick on Feb. 25 and "has not entered Amazon offices since that time," according to an email sent to Amazon employees. The company said it learned of the COVID-19 diagnosis Tuesday.

“We’re supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday.

The email encouraged employees experiencing symptoms to “please stay home and seek medical attention.” The company also is “continuing with enhanced deep cleaning and sanitization in the office.”

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The coronavirus U.S. death toll was at nine people Tuesday with all of the reported deaths from Washington state. Washington also accounts for 27 of the 118 cases so far reported in the U.S., and state officials said 231 people are under public health supervision.

One of the three deaths reported Tuesday actually happened last week but was only now linked to the virus. Five of the victims were residents of a nursing home in suburban Seattle, and eight of the nine people who have died lived in King County.

Last week, a Google employee in Switzerland tested positive for the coronavirus and the company announced it was restricting travel amid growing concerns about the spread of the deadly outbreak.

Contributing: John Bacon and Jorge L. Ortiz

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko