As the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the new coronavirus a global pandemic Wednesday, Pennsylvania's cases continued to climb, and universities announced plans for online teaching.

NEWER UPDATE:Pa. up to 21 coronavirus cases as leaders, event organizers make decisions

The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed several new cases Wednesday — two in Bucks County, one in Montgomery County and one in Monroe County. Three patients are in isolation at home, while the Monroe patient is hospitalized.

This brings the statewide total to 16 cases of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Fourteen of the cases are presumptive positive, and two cases, in Delaware and Wayne counties, have been confirmed by the CDC.

In all cases in Pennsylvania, the patients are adults, and most of them are recovering at home. State officials are not releasing many details, including where in the counties patients live or their exact ages.

State health secretary Dr. Rachel Levine also said Wednesday that there's one person from another state who is hospitalized in Pennsylvania, but that person is not included in the count.

The state released total numbers of tests for the first time. Levine said 173 Pennsylvanians have been tested for the coronavirus by the state lab, and 100 of those tested negative so far. Sixteen have tested positive, and two of the 16 have been confirmed by the CDC.

There are 57 tests pending, meaning they are in the lab going through the process or the test has not yet reached the lab.

Pennsylvania will also receive more than $16 million in funding being distributed by the CDC to support the COVID-19 response, the federal government said Wednesday.

Money will go to various places, including the counties that need it, the health department's command center and the state lab in Exton. Philadelphia will receive $3.5 million in separate funding.

Gov. Tom Wolf will give a coronavirus update at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Watch it live here.

Read on for more updates.

NBA suspends season

Seconds before tip of the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder game Wednesday night, a member of the Jazz medical staff sprinted up to the officials.

After a brief conversation, the officials called the coaches together and several minutes later they and the players left the floor.

Within an hour, the NBA announced that after the completion of Wednesday night's games, the season will be suspended until further notice because a player on the Utah Jazz has tested positive for the coronavirus.

He was not in the arena for Wednesday night's game.

"The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic," the league's statement read.

No fans for NCAA basketball tourneys

NCAA president Mark Emmert announced late Wednesday afternoon that NCAA basketball tournament games will be played without fans.

"I have made the decision to conduct our upcoming championship events, including the Division I men's and women's basketball tournaments, with only essential staff and limited family attendance," Emmert tweeted after consulting public health officials and the NCAA COVID-19 advisory panel.

"While I understand how disappointing this is for all fans of our sports, my decision is based on the current understanding of how COVID-19 is progressing in the United States," he said.

Emmert said the decision is in the best interest of public health.

Big Ten Conference closes competitions

Early Wednesday evening, the Big Ten Conference announced that beginning Thursday, its men's basketball tournament games will be limited to student-athletes, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff, TV network partners, credentialed media and immediate family members of the participating teams.

"All further Big Ten Conference winter and spring sports competitions, including championship/tournament events, will also be limited to student-athletes, coaches, event staff, essential team and conference staff, TV network partners, credentialed media and immediate family members of the participating teams," the release said.

What do we know about Pa. coronavirus cases?

Here's the latest information about the 16 coronavirus and positive cases in Pennsylvania:

Montgomery County: There are nine cases of the coronavirus in Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia. All of the patients are adults. Three patients are hospitalized, while the others have mild symptoms and are resting at home. The patient confirmed Tuesday night had reportedly come into contact with another individual who tested positive for COVID-19.

Delaware County: One case in Delaware County, another Philadelphia suburb, involves an adult patient with mild symptoms who is at home.

Wayne County: One case in Wayne County, northeastern Pennsylvania, involves an adult patient with mild symptoms who is at home.

Monroe County: Two cases have been confirmed in Monroe County, northeastern Pennsylvania. One involves an adult patient who was hospitalized but is now at home. The second, announced Wednesday, is an adult who is in the hospital.

Philadelphia: One case in the City of Philadelphia involves an adult patient who is at home.

Bucks County: Two cases in Bucks County involve adults who are both in isolation at home with mild symptoms. The patients, who reside in the same home, attended an out-of-state function recently where they came in contact with two other people who later tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Bucks County Health Department.

More:Coronavirus, the flu, big crowds: Reasons to skip the polls and vote by mail-in ballot

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State officials are calling cases "presumptive positive" if they have been confirmed at a state lab but not by the CDC. Levine said she was not aware of any tests performed at the state level that were later found by the CDC to be incorrect.

With further spread of the virus and disruptions to everyday life expected, officials remind residents to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

You should also cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow (not your hands), clean surfaces that are frequently touched (such as countertops, light switches and phones), and stay home if you are sick.

Isolation vs. quarantine

It is important to note that there is a difference between isolation and quarantine, Levine said.

Isolation separates individuals who are sick with a contagious illness, from people who aren't sick.

Quarantine is a little different because it separates and restricts the movement of people who have been exposed to a contagious illness, such as COVID-19, to see if they become sick. If someone is in quarantine, they may not be sick and may not become sick.

Isolation and quarantine can be voluntary, Levine said, but in an emergency the Department of Health has the authority to legally isolate or quarantine individuals.

Changes at Pa. colleges and universities

The state's largest university, Penn State, joined a number of other colleges and universities Wednesday in moving classes online. Penn State will use online learning starting March 16, when spring break ends, until April 3. Penn State is also restricting fans at athletic events.

Universities are particularly vulnerable to the spread of the disease because of the close proximity of those who live and work on campus for weeks at a time.

More:Penn State, other Pa. colleges move classes online due to coronavirus concerns

More:College closings: Close to 100 colleges are canceling in-person classes and moving online

Here's a look at some of the other Pennsylvania colleges making alternate plans:

Community spread in Pa.

Levine said in a news conference late Wednesday afternoon that there has been no indication of community spread in the state.

She defines community spread as multiple people becoming infected with a contagious disease in an area where health officials aren't sure how they became infected.

If community spread occurs in Pennsylvania, Levine said state health officials will meet with local officials to determine the best ways to contain the spread. That could include using technology to hold online classes and meetings and limiting large public gatherings.

Lebanon VA Medical Center limits visitation

Lebanon VA Medical Center has implemented a restricted visitation status for all inpatient beds and has discontinued all direct admissions to the Community Living Center, it was announced Wednesday.

Family members are encouraged and requested to contact the clinical treatment teams with questions or concerns, according to a new release.

The restrictions do not apply to people transporting veterans or accompanying them to their outpatient appointments.

Event cancellations or changes

The parade association added to the list Tuesday night when it released its Facebook post saying it canceled Philadelphia's St. Patrick's Day Parade and all related events.

The PostModern Jukebox performance scheduled for Thursday at the Appell Center in York has been postponed, according to a news release from the band. All previous tickets will be honored at a new date, or refunds will be available.

York College canceled its March 20 Spring Concert featuring AJR.

Sports in Pennsylvania

The PIAA moved some scheduled state high school basketball tournament games. For example, the Eastern York girls' team's Class 4A second-round contest against Bonner-Prendergast has been moved from Coatesville to Reading High's Geigle Complex for 5 p.m. Wednesday.

The PIAA has recommended that "pre-game and post-game handshakes may be replaced with fist pumps, forearm pumps or elbow pumps." New Oxford and York Suburban players fist-bumped each other after Tuesday's game.

One school district, Mount Lebanon in Allegheny County, also posted a statement Wednesday saying it would not allow its boys' basketball team to play Cheltenham in the state playoffs.

The Cheltenham School District, near Philadelphia, is closed through Friday because a district parent is a caregiver of a COVID-19 patient. Mount Lebanon said it is concerned with students' health and that it "communicated its position to the PIAA and is awaiting its response."

What is a pandemic?

A pandemic is a global outbreak of a serious new illness that requires “sustained transmission throughout the world," Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY previously.

In the minds of many, the word "pandemic" is closely connected to the 1918 flu pandemic that killed tens of millions of people, Fauci said.

But by definition, a pandemic doesn't require that scale of destruction. In reality, it's a loosely defined term.

Why is there so much concern over the coronavirus?

There is currently neither a vaccine nor an approved treatment for the new, or novel, coronavirus.

While younger people may experience the illness as a bad cold with a fever, the concern is that older people and those who have additional medical conditions will develop a more severe form of COVID-19.

As the disease spreads widely in the population, that could lead to a high number of patients requiring hospitalization for pneumonia or acute lung problems that require the use of a ventilator to breathe, as well as death.

Data from China shows that about 15 percent of people who contract the coronavirus infection develop more severe illness, requiring hospitalization.

The Associated Press and USA Today contributed to this report.