U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference on the coronavirus outbreak at the White House in Washington, U.S., U.S., February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said additional coronavirus cases in the United States were “likely” but that the country was prepared for any circumstance, at a news conference on Saturday after reports of the first U.S. patient death from the virus.

The first U.S. death from the flu-like illness was a medically high-risk patient in her late fifties in the state of Washington, Trump told reporters at the White House conference.

Trump said he would meet with pharmaceutical companies on Monday to discuss potential vaccines. The global spread of the illness has prompted the United States to consider imposing entry restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border.