Washington (CNN) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday a "handful" of State Department employees have tested positive for the coronavirus in the first official acknowledgement that his staff has been directly affected by the pandemic.

"We've had a couple of employees -- you can count 'em on one hand -- who have positive tests," Pompeo said during a briefing at the State Department. "We've handled those exactly the way we're asking every American to respond to those, wherever they find themselves in the world." He did not elaborate on where the employees are posted.

Pompeo stressed that the State Department continues its operations to serve American citizens abroad, even as he offered no details and some Americans report being unable to get assistance from embassies overseas.

"It's not just about our officers serving in these distant places protecting themselves and our team, but making sure we're doing the right thing by the American people," he said, pointing to the State Department's travel advisories.

Pompeo also focused on America's geopolitical foes Iran and China in connection to the pandemic, claiming that Iran has been lying about the impact of the outbreak and, like China, has been falsely trying to blame the virus on the US.

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