US coronavirus cases pass 500; death toll hits 21
In this Sept. 2, 2003 file photo, the Regal Princess ocean liner is seen docked in New York. The cruise ship was being held off the coast of Florida Sunday, March 8, 2020, as the ship waits for test results on whether two crew members have contracted the new coronavirus. The crew members in question had transferred from the Grand Princess cruise ship in California where nearly two dozen on board have tested positive for the virus, including multiple crew members. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File)
The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases soared past 500 Sunday, including two further deaths, as President Donald Trump defended his administration's "perfectly coordinated" response to the epidemic.
The virus has reached some 30 US states, with Oregon the latest to declare an emergency, and 60 million people in California and New York are under crisis measures.
Two more deaths were reported in Washington state ― both linked to a virus-hit care home near Seattle ― bringing the nationwide toll to at least 21.
In an early morning tweet Trump, who has been accused of peddling misinformation on the outbreak, blamed the media for trying to make his government "look bad."
"We have a perfectly coordinated and fine-tuned plan at the White House for our attack on CoronaVirus," Trump tweeted.
"We moved VERY early to close borders to certain areas, which was a Godsend. V.P. is doing a great job. The Fake News Media is doing everything possible to make us look bad. Sad!"
But Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, criticized Trump's messaging around the outbreak, telling NBC the president "hasn't communicated the way I would, and the way I might like him to."
A Johns Hopkins tally put the number of confirmed US cases at 537 by Sunday afternoon, with newly diagnosed patients in states including Pennsylvania, Illinois, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Oregon declared an emergency as the number of patients in the northwestern state rose to 14, with Governor Kate Brown saying measures to "unlock" key resources would remain for at least 60 days. (AFP)