New coronavirus deaths in US as lawmakers reach USD 8.3 bn funding deal

The death toll in the United States from the new coronavirus rose to 11 on Wednesday, as lawmakers in Congress agreed to provide more than USD 8 billion to fight the rapidly spreading disease.

California Governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency as he reported the state's first fatality from the COVID-19 illness -- an elderly person who had taken a cruise to Mexico -- while health officials in nearby Washington state said a 10th person had died there.

"The State of California is deploying every level of government to help identify cases and slow the spread of this coronavirus," Newsom told reporters.

"This emergency proclamation will help the state further prepare our communities and our health care system in the event it spreads more broadly." Earlier in the day, Los Angeles County officials reported six new cases in the West Coast metropolis, while the number of confirmed cases in New York state rose to 11.

One of the Los Angeles cases concerns a medical screener at the city's international airport checking overseas travelers for symptoms.

The Department of Homeland Security said the worker was under self-quarantine at home along with family members and was showing mild symptoms.

That person's last shift at the airport was on February 21 and the symptoms began on February 29, a statement said.

"DHS is happy to report that this individual was highly trained and did everything right both on the job and when they began to feel sick," the statement said.

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"We are told the individual wore all the correct protective equipment and took necessary protections on the job." Nationwide, more than 130 people have so far been infected, with the virus detected in more than a dozen states. Most of the deaths have been in Washington state including residents of a nursing home.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi meanwhile said Republicans and Democrats had reached a deal to fund the response to the outbreak to the tune of $8.3 billion. The House of Representatives passed the measure, and the Senate was to vote on Thursday.

Vice President Mike Pence, who is the White House's pointman on the crisis, told reporters he would be traveling to Minnesota on Thursday to visit a 3M plant manufacturing personal protective equipment including masks.

He will then visit Washington state and meet with Governor Jay Inslee to review containment efforts in the Seattle area.

All of the newly infected individuals in Los Angeles were exposed to COVID-19 through close contact, health officials said.

Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, said three of the cases concerned travelers who had gone together to northern Italy -- a virus hotspot with more than 100 deaths.

Two other cases involved individuals who had come in contact with a family member who had the virus and the last was the airport screener.

"The step we're taking today is about preparation, not panic," said Mayor Eric Garcetti of the emergency declaration.

Officials said they expected the number of infections in California to rise in the coming days and urged families to brace for possible school closures and the cancelation of public events.

Statewide, more than 50 people are known to be infected, the most of any state.

In Washington state, officials in King County, which includes Seattle and where most of the deaths have taken place, said they were purchasing an 85-bed motel to house patients stricken with the virus. 

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