Meanwhile, the pace of new COVID-19 infections in the United States continued a slow but steady rise, running parallel to increased spread of the virus and increased testing capacity. An online dashboard from Johns Hopkins University this afternoon shows 516 US cases, up by nearly 100 cases from the 417 reported at the same time yesterday.

The total includes 49 cases in people repatriated from Wuhan, China, or the Diamond Princess cruise ship that had been quarantined in Japan.At least 34 states have reported cases, according to a New York Times tracker.Washington state officials as of this morning reported 136 cases, up 34 cases from yesterday, and 18 deaths, 2 more since yesterday. Eight counties have reported cases.

Of the state's new cases reported today, 12, plus both of the deaths, were reported by Public Health-Seattle and King County, which has now reported 83 of the state's cases. The people who died were both residents of the LifeCare Center, the affected nursing home. They include a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s.

Chicago officials reported a new case, the seventh from Illinois, involving a man in his 60s with an unknown exposure source who sought medical care and tested negative for flu.Cruise ship to disembark in Oakland; feds warns against cruise ship travel and large crowds .California officials announced that they are working with the federal government to safety disembark Grand Princess cruise ship passengers at the port in Oakland as soon as tomorrow. Efforts are already underway to prepare the site. The ship is carrying about 3,500 people, 1,700 of them crew members, from 54 countries.Infected passengers needing acute medical care will be treated at California hospitals, and an additional 1,000 passengers from California will be evaluated in federally run quarantine in California. Nonresidents will be transported to federal facilities in other states.The ship's crew will be quarantined and treated on the ship.

In a related development, the US State Department today urged US citizens, especially those with underlying health conditions, to avoid traveling by cruise ships. It said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted an increased risk in travelers and said many countries have implemented strict screening measures, denied ship entries at ports, and prevented passengers from disembarking. It also warned that though the US has evacuated some cruise passengers in recent weeks, those considering cruises should not rely on repatriation flights if they face quarantine by local authorities.