The victim was an 80-year-old man who had lived in the city of Wuhan, where the outbreak originated, for more than two months, according to Hebei’s provincial health department. Wuhan is a major port city of 11 million in the province of Hubei, where all of the 17 previously reported deaths have taken place.

The victim died on Wednesday, but officials did not confirm that he had died of the coronavirus until Thursday, the Hebei provincial announcement said.

The announcement did not say when the man had returned to Hebei Province from Wuhan, but said that he had developed chest tightness and difficulty breathing after his return. Like many of the other confirmed victims of the virus, he appeared to have other underlying health issues: After being admitted to a hospital, he also was treated for high blood pressure, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, the authorities said.

World Health Organization decides not to declare a global health emergency — yet.

After two days of deliberations, an emergency committee convened by the World Health Organization decided not to declare a global health emergency — but planned to meet again within 10 days, acknowledging the “urgency” of the situation.

The committee had first planned to issue a recommendation on Wednesday about whether to declare an emergency (the decision ultimately falls to the W.H.O.’s director general). Such a declaration would give the W.H.O. broader authority to shape different countries’ responses. But committee members were split.