Three more cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States, bringing the total number to five.
The three new cases are from patients in Maricopa County, Arizona; Los Angeles County, California; and Orange County, California (a man in his 50s),CNNreports.
Before Sunday,the U.S. had two confirmed casesof the virus: a man in his 30s in Everett, Washington, and a woman in her 60s in Chicago.NBC Newsreveals that all five patients are currently being held at hospitals in isolation.
According toGood Morning America, officials in Hong Kong have “declared a state of emergency,” and more than 2,800 people in China have been confirmed as infected with the virus as of Monday morning. The death toll is at least 80, according toThe New York Times.
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Just days ago on Friday, 26 people in China had died from the coronavirus, while 830 people had been infected,officials said. Chinese officials were also effectively quarantining 35 million citizens in Wuhan and neighboring areas. They had shut down railroads and roadways and grounded all flights in or out of Wuhan.
Cities across China also canceled fireworks and festivals surrounding the Chinese Lunar New Year,and major tourist attractionssuch as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Shanghai Disneyland were closing.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we are still in the early days of the investigation – both domestically and abroad. CDC continues to monitor the international situation with our teams on the ground in affected countries, as well as domestically in the four states with confirmed cases,” the CDCwrote in their Sunday release, explaining that the chance of “more cases reported in the U.S.,” “including person-to-person spread,” is “likely.”
Coronavirus, or 2019-nCoV, is a blanket term for several respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to more severe viruses such as SARS, or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. The symptoms typically include trouble breathing, fever, coughing, headache and a sore throat — similar to the flu. For people who have severe cases, it can turn into pneumonia, SARS, kidney failure and death, according to theWorld Health Organization.
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NBC Newsreports that 100 samples from over half the states in the U.S. have been sent for testing to the CDC as of Sunday. While 70 samples were still pending, 25 tested negative while five tested positive.
“This is a very serious public health situation,” the CDC said. “We understand that somepeople are worried about this virusand how it may impact Americans. Outbreaks of new diseases are always of concern — and in today’s connected world, an outbreak anywhere can be a risk everywhere. Risk is dependent on exposure.”
“Someone who is in close contact with a person who is infected with 2019-nCoV will be at greater risk of infection and should take the precautions outlined in CDC’s guidance for preventing spread in homes and communities,” the group added. “Whilethis is a serious public health threat, CDC continues to believe the immediate risk to the U.S. general public is low at this time.”
source: people.com
