Amazon confirms first coronavirus case among U.S. employees

A computer image created by Nexu Science Communication together with Trinity College in Dublin, shows a model structurally representative of a betacoronavirus which is the type of virus linked to COVID-19, better known as the coronavirus linked to the Wuhan outbreak, shared with Reuters on February 18, 2020. NEXU Science Communication/via REUTERS/Files

March 4 (Reuters) - Online retailer Amazon.com Inc said on Tuesday an employee in the United States tested positive for the coronavirus.

"We're supporting the affected employee who is in quarantine," a company spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.

The spokeswoman confirmed a report by Bloomberg News that all co-workers in contact with the employee, who worked at Amazon's South Lake Union office complex in Seattle, had been informed.

The company said on Sunday two employees in Milan, Italy, had been infected with the virus and were under quarantine.