U.S. CDC reports 987 coronavirus cases, death tally of 29

(Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday reported 987 cases of the coronavirus, an increase of 291 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 4 to 29.

The agency said these cases have been reported by 38 states and the District of Columbia, up from its previous report of 35 states and the District of Columbia.

The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on March 10.

The tally includes 49 cases among people repatriated from Japan and Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began.

The CDC figures do not necessarily reflect cases reported by individual states.

(Reporting by Vishwadha Chander in Bengaluru, Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips)