(CNN) First lady Melania Trump is defending her work on the new White House tennis pavilion after a tweet she posted was roundly criticized as tone deaf amid the coronavirus outbreak.

"I encourage everyone who chooses to be negative (and) question my work at the ⁦‪@WhiteHouse⁩ to take time and contribute something good (and) productive in their own communities," Trump tweeted Saturday.

As of Saturday morning, there are at least 335 reported cases and 17 deaths in the US, according to CNN's latest count.

The first lady's office did not return CNN's requests for comment.