Coronavirus: US death toll rises to 21, as more cases confirmed

The number of patients who have tested positive is now north of 100,000.



The number of patients who have tested positive for coronavirus continues to creep north of 100,000 as states in the U.S. announce new cases every day.

The virus has spread to every continent except for Antarctica after it first broke out in Wuhan, China, in December.

On Sunday morning, Vermont announced its first presumptive case of the virus, while Virginia and Connecticut also announced new cases.

Hawaii and Utah announced that residents in their states had tested positive on Saturday. Those two patients had recently traveled aboard Grand Princess cruise ships, according to state officials.

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Today's biggest developments:
U.S. death toll increased to 21

Washington nursing home now has enough test kits for residents

Life Care Center, the Washington nursing home where the majority of deaths from the coronavirus stemmed from in the state, has now obtained enough testings kits for all residents.

Testing will also be done on 11 residents who died at the facility in recent weeks who were not tested for the virus before their deaths, Tim Killian, spokesman for the nursing home, told reporters outside the facility on Sunday.

Three employees have been hospitalized, and one has tested positive, Killian said. However, not all employees are being tested, as the nursing home does not yet have enough kits to do so, he added.

State Department warns Americans to not travel by cruise ship

The U.S. State Department is cautioning Americans, especially those with existing health conditions, to not travel by cruise ship, citing the increased risk of COVID-19 infection by doing so.

"Many countries have implemented screening procedures, denied port entry rights to ships and prevented disembarking," a tweet from the State Department read.


Two Princess cruises are currently hovering off the U.S. Coast. The Grand Princess cruise, where 21 people have tested positive, is scheduled to dock in Oakland, California, on Monday, while the Regal Princess is been forced to remain off the coast of South Florida until two of its crew members have been tested for the virus.

2 more deaths recorded in Washington state

Two more people have died of the coronavirus in Washington state, according to local health officials.

Both patients -- a woman in her 80s and a man in his 90s -- are Life Care Center residents, according to the King County Health Department. The woman died on Friday, and the man died on Thursday.

Of the 18 deaths reported in Washington, 16 have been associated with the nursing home facility.

Two deaths have occurred in Florida and another in California -- bringing the total in the U.S. to 21.

 2 crew members aboard Regal Princess off Florida coast being tested

The Regal Princess cruise ship has been forced to remain offshore by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Health and Human Services until two of its crew members have been tested for the coronavirus.

The U.S. Coast Guard transmitted a no sail order following the directive by the two agencies, according to a statement. A small crew out of the Coast Guard station in Miami transported test kits to the ship, which is sitting off the coast of South Florida.

The crew members previously served on the Grand Princess, the ship in which multiple U.S. citizens who have tested positive for the virus were staying on, according to a letter sent to passengers obtained by ABC News.

However, the workers are past the 14-day incubation period and are not showing any symptoms, the letter states.

The cruise was scheduled to dock at Port Everglades on Sunday morning, ABC Miami station WPLG reported.

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