More COVID-19 deaths - here's how the world is reacting

Health officials in Washington State say a 10th person has died from COVID-19. Six new suspected cases are being tested.

Many Seattle-based tech companies have requested their employees work from home in an effort to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Both Microsoft and Amazon have reportedly given employees the option to work from home as well.

Also on Wednesday, California announced the first reported death from the disease and Los Angeles County has declared a public health emergency.

The spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. has not been as fast as in some other countries. Italy, for example, has closed all schools and universities nationwide from Thursday until mid-March. More than 2,200 people have COVID-19 in Italy, and at least 79 deaths have been reported, according to Italy's health ministry.

Saudi Arabia announced it will "suspend Umrah temporarily for citizens and residents in the kingdom." Umrah, also known as 'the lesser pilgrimage,' is a voluntary visit to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina. It is different from the annual Hajj pilgrimage which sees millions of faithful pour into the country for about a week.

The Gulf kingdom also barred many from "visits to the Prophet's mosque in Medina," according to a foreign ministry tweet.

In Iran, about one-in-eight government ministers have tested positive for the virus, according to the country's deputy speaker. Twenty-three of the 290 MPs tested positive for COVID-19, which brings the number of cases to more than 2,300 and 77 deaths, Iranian health official Alireza Raisi said.

Iranian health official Alireza Raisi said as of Tuesday there were 2,336 cases of COVID-19 in the country and that 77 people had died.