The Bay State is receiving $500,000 in initial federal funding to respond to the coronavirus threat, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Wednesday.

“State and local governments are the backbone of our public health system,” HHS Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement. “They have been essential partners in the ongoing work to contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the United States.

“The Trump Administration is acting swiftly through every avenue we have to ensure state and local governments have the support they need to combat this outbreak,” Azar said.

Washington state on Wednesday reported a 10th death from coronavirus, and California announced its first death.

Massachusetts has had one confirmed case and one presumptive positive case. More than 100 people in the U.S. have been infected.

There have been more than 90,000 coronavirus cases around the world.

The HHS will transfer this funding to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“CDC is committed to working with state, local, tribal and territorial public health departments to mitigate community spread of novel coronavirus in this nation,” CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. “Our partners are on the front lines of this response and we support their efforts to increase needed public health capacity to confront the challenges this virus presents.”

With funding from HHS, the CDC will give an initial $25 million to the states and regions that have “borne the largest burden of response and preparedness activities to date,” a HHS press release states.

These states and regions will use the funding for monitoring travelers, data management, lab equipment, supplies, staffing, shipping, infection control and surge staffing.

CDC will also award $10 million to states and regions to implement “coronavirus surveillance across the U.S., building on existing influenza activities and other surveillance systems.”

Herald wire services were used in this report.