California has declared an emergency over the coronavirus outbreak, as tests continue Thursday on board a Princess cruise ship that has been linked to two cases of the illness in the state.
The first death in California related to coronavirus was confirmed Wednesday, while another fatality in Washington brought that state's death toll to 10.
Congressional leaders have agreed on an $8 billion emergency funding package to help fight the coronavirus that is headed to the House.
The virus is now spreading more rapidly outside China, where the epidemic started, with mainland China recording just 119 new confirmed cases while hundreds of cases were reported globally.
South Korea alone recorded an additional 516 cases of coronavirus Wednesday, bringing the total to 5,328 confirmed cases, the largest outbreak outside of mainland China.
Governments around the world are introducing a range of measures to stop the spread of the disease. In Italy, where there have been more than 2,000 cases, all schools and colleges are shut for 10 days.
Full coverage of the coronavirus outbreak
- Here's what to know about the coronavirus.
- MAPS: Where cases have been confirmed in the U.S. and worldwide.
Download the NBC News app for latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak.
Live Blog
Georgia reports first novel coronavirus cases
Georgia has reported its first cases of novel coronavirus, officials said Monday.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters that the cases, which were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, involved two people in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta.
The people live in the same home and one had recently traveled to Milan, Italy, he said. The country has seen more cases of the virus than any other in Europe, with more than 1,800 cases and 52 deaths.
The person developed symptoms shortly after returning to Georgia, Kemp said.
The pair is at home with other relatives who were showing minor symptoms of the virus, said Kathleen Toomey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Toomey said that epidemiologists were working to trace their contacts to prevent the virus from further spreading.
Citing privacy concerns, officials declined to provide additional details about the cases.
Facebook won't participate in SXSW because of coronavirus fears
Facebook will not participate in the annual media and music event South by Southwest because of fears of the novel coronavirus, the company said Monday.
"Due to concerns related to coronavirus, our company and employees will not be participating in SXSW this year," a Facebook Company spokesperson said in an email.
The withdrawal was reported by Business Insider earlier Monday.
Featured speaker Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced Sunday that he would be withdrawing after his company enacted a ban on non-essential travel.
South by Southwest, known as SXSW, is scheduled to be held in Austin, Texas, in mid-March.
Organizers said in a statement that they are working closely with local, state and federal agencies and that they are proceeding with the event. Organizers said that the health and safety of its attendees, staff and volunteers are a top priority.
"At this time, there are a handful of cancellations from participants who were traveling from China and Japan and there have been a few corporate travel bans. Other than that, the cancellations are on par from past years," organizers said in a statement.
The statement said that participants are encouraged to follow personal hygiene practices, including washing hands and covering coughs, among other measures.
Massachusetts reports first presumptive case of COVID-19
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Monday that the state has its first presumptive case of the illness caused by the coronavirus, COVID-19, since local testing began Friday.
The patient in the presumptive positive case announced Monday was described as a woman in her 20s who recently traveled to Italy with a school group and is now recovering at home.
She had symptoms and a local test came back positive Monday evening, the state health department said. A CDC test will be done to confirm the local test.
"We are grateful this individual is recovering," Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in a statement. "We understand the concern this new virus is causing, and our state’s ability to quickly test for the virus is a positive development. The risk to the public from COVID-19 remains low in Massachusetts."
Previously another person, a Boston man who returned from Wuhan, China, was confirmed to have it by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention testing.
The person who had previously been confirmed by CDC testing to have COVID-19 was a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston who returned from Wuhan, China, in early February, and he is recovering well, NBC Boston reported citing officials.
Six people have died in the state of Washington.
The rest of the world surpasses China in a grim statistic: coronavirus deaths per day
Approximately 40 people have been reported dead in the last 24 hours due to coronavirus in countries outside of China, which is more than the 31 new deaths in mainland China in the same amount of time. This is the first time since the virus started spreading that deaths in China didn't outnumber those in the rest of the world.
There were 125 new cases of the COVID-19 disease reported in mainland China, according to the latest numbers from China's National Health Commission. More than 900 new cases were reported in the rest of the world, bringing the total confirmed cases to more than 89,000.
At least 3,100 people have died, including six deaths in Washington state. More than 47,000 people have recovered from the disease.
Wisconsin able to test for coronavirus at 2 labs
Wisconsin, which had one confirmed case of coronavirus in early February, is now able to test suspected samples at the state lab in Madison and at the City of Milwaukee health lab.
Faster test results will help local health departments monitor people suspected of having the virus and other people who may have been exposed to it, said Jeanne Ayers, administrator for the Wisconsin Division of Public Health.
Test samples previously were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Positive test results identified by the two labs in the state will now be presumed positive and sent to the CDC for confirmation.
New York governor moves to mitigate coronavirus treatment and testing costs
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said Monday night that he was issuing a directive that would require state health insurers to waive costs associated with coronavirus treatment.
Trump pushes for vaccine, treatment at White House meeting with pharma execs
President Donald Trump and members of the coronavirus task force met with top pharmaceutical and biotech executives at the White House Monday, where the president urged speedy action on a vaccine and treatment for the virus.
Trump, who's been criticized by Democrats and some doctors for offering too rosy an outlook on the impact of the virus in the United States, was more restrained Monday, speaking shortly after officials in Washington state reported that six people had died from the illness.
"The White House coronavirus task force, led by Vice President Mike Pence, has been meeting daily and coordinating closely with the state and local governments," Trump said. "Mike had a call today with 53 governors, and I heard it was a very good call and everybody's very well-coordinated. And the governors and the states — all of them, I can't think of an exception — they have been really working closely with us. It's been a very good relationship. We will confront this challenge together."
"We're working very hard to expedite the longer process of developing a vaccine. We're also moving with maximum speed to develop a therapy so that we can help people recover as quickly as possible," he added.
After one of the pharma executives suggested a vaccine could be ready within months, Trump suggested that the vaccine could then be deployed to the public. However, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease interjected to note that that's when a vaccine could be ready for testing.
A flawed vaccine would do more harm than good, he added, and the timeline for a vaccine to get market would be "at the earliest a year to a year and a half, no matter how fast you go."
The executives and Fauci suggested that some sort of treatment for people who are sick could be available in a matter of months, news Trump called "very exciting."
County in Washington to buy motel for isolated patients
Officials in King county, Washington said they plan to buy a local motel and set up modular units that will be used to isolate people who have been diagnosed with coronavirus.
These modular units will be set up in publicly-owned parking lots and other available land.
Later Monday, during a news conference, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state is looking at multiple options to increase the "surge capacity" of its health care system.
California's Placer County confirms first case
A resident of Placer County, which includes the greater Sacramento metropolitan area in Northern California, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the county's health department said on Monday.
The individual is a health care worker from NorthBay VacaValley Hospital who had exposure to a woman who tested positive and is currently hospitalized at UC Davis Medical Center. That woman was the first reported case of community spread in the U.S.
The Placer patient, the first for the county, has mild symptoms and is currently isolated at home.
Vice President Pence: "It's a good time to wash your hands."
Vice President Mike Pence offered his condolences as the U.S. coronavirus death toll rose to six on Monday.
Pence spoke to reporters Monday afternoon along with a number of experts on the White House coronavirus task force, where he emphasized that people should remain calm amid the outbreak.
"Despite today’s sad news, let’s be clear: the risk to the American people from the coronavirus remains low, according to all of the experts that we’re working with across the government," Pence said.
The vice president called the outbreak an "all hands on deck" situation as he recounted meetings with governors, pharmaceutical companies and medical experts in recent days.
Pence said that while a vaccine might not be available until late this year or early next, pharmaceutical companies have been working on developing therapeutics that may be available as early as this summer.
"The most encouraging news from that meeting are that our pharma companies ... all have already formed a consortium to work together, to share information in the development of therapeutics and vaccines," he said.
The administration has worked with authorities in Italy and South Korea to implement additional screenings for all flights entering the U.S., including temperature tests for passengers.
Pence didn't warn against domestic travel, but encouraged families to practice common sense as authorities encourage everyone to resume their normal lives.
"This is a time to use common sense," Pence said. "It's a good time to wash your hands."
Worried you have the coronavirus? Here's exactly what you should do
With a growing number of cases of the new coronavirus confirmed across the United States, having a sore throat or some sniffles might feel like a cause for concern. But in most cases, there is no reason to worry, experts say.
If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, there are the steps that doctors and public health officials recommend you take.
Click here to read more on what to do if you think you have coronavirus.