The US has reported its first death from the Covid-19 coronavirus in the north-west state of Washington amid reports of the disease spreading in US communities.
Donald Trump with Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony Fauci, Vice President Mike Pence, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield at a briefing about the Covid-19 coronavirus. Photo: Alex Wong / Getty Images / AFP
US President Donald Trump said the person who died was a "medically high-risk" woman in her late 50s. He said more cases were "likely" but that the US was prepared for any circumstance.
Officials said they were expanding travel restrictions on Iran and urged Americans to avoid hard-hit parts of Italy and South Korea.
More than 85,000 Covid-19 cases have been reported around the world and almost 3000 deaths, according to the World Health Organization. The vast majority of infections and deaths are in China, where the virus emerged late last year.
Speaking at a press conference on Saturday, Trump confirmed earlier reports that a person in Washington state had died from the virus.
Health officials have not identified the woman, but said the fatality occurred in the state's King County. They said the woman had not travelled to any high-risk areas.
It comes after officials on the US West Coast reported three unexplained coronavirus cases - in California, Oregon and Washington - raising concerns the virus could be spreading within the community.
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A US citizen previously died in the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus first appeared.
Among the other 22 cases in the country, Trump said four people were "very ill" with the virus.
While acknowledging that more cases were expected, he also sought to quell fears over the outbreak.
"Since the early stages of the foreign outbreak my administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to confront the spread of this disease," he said.
"Our country is prepared for any circumstance. There is no reason to panic at all."
He said healthy individuals "should be able to fully recover".
Vice President Mike Pence announced that an existing ban on travel from Iran had been expanded to include any foreign national who has visited the country within the last 14 days.
Iran has reported the most coronavirus deaths outside China.
Americans were also urged not to visit hard-hit areas in global hot-spots Italy and South Korea.
Pence said the US was working with local officials to coordinate screening of travellers entering the US from those countries.
France earlier announced that it had banned all indoor gatherings of more than 5000 people, as part of efforts to contain the country's coronavirus outbreak.
Measures announced after an emergency cabinet meeting also include the cancellation of the Paris half-marathon which was to be held on Sunday.
The total number of cases in France rose to 100 on Saturday, with two deaths.
- BBC
