(CNN) – There are 11 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the United States. Among them are the first two cases of transmission from person to person of the virus in the country.
The World Health Organization and the United States have declared that the outbreak is a public health emergency, but US officials have urged residents not to panic.
National security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday at CBS’s “Face the Nation” program that “we believe this is low risk in the United States.”
Chinese tourists in New York. (JOHANNES EISELE / AFP via Getty Images)
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The new coronavirus, which has made thousands sick and killed more than 300 people in China, belongs to a large family of viruses that mostly make animals sick. But this coronavirus, such as SARS and MERS, “jumped the species barrier” to infect large-scale people, the Centers for Disease Control and Detention (CDC) said.
In response, the United States began applying travel restrictions on Sunday night, temporarily denying entry to foreign citizens who visited China in the 14 days prior to their arrival in the United States, a health official said.
The restrictions also apply to US citizens who have been in the Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, in the two weeks prior to their return to the United States. Upon their return, those citizens will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of up to 14 days, said Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar on Friday.
In a research paper published Thursday, scientists described a case in which a patient could have transmitted the virus before showing developed symptoms. The authors wrote that the findings “merit a reassessment of transmission dynamics” in the current outbreak.
Washington State
The first confirmed coronavirus patient in the United States, a man in his 30s, sought treatment at an emergency care center in the state after returning from Wuhan. The center sent its samples to the CDC, which confirmed that it had the coronavirus.
The patient entered the isolated care area at a hospital in Everett, north of Seattle, on January 23. He is receiving treatment on an isolated stretcher designed for patients with highly contagious diseases, and a robot takes its vital signs.
It is in stable condition, said Dr. George Diaz, a man’s doctor and an infectious disease expert. You will undergo additional testing until it is no longer contagious.
Illinois
A woman in her 60s in Chicago was diagnosed a few days after returning from Wuhan on January 13. It is in stable condition and “quite well,” said his doctors.
He will stay in the hospital to control the infection.
On Thursday, the CDC confirmed that the woman transmitted the disease to her husband, who had not traveled to China. He was in close contact with his wife for a long period of time when she was symptomatic, said the Illinois Department of Public Health.
California
California has more than half of the confirmed cases of the virus in the country and officials announced two more cases in San Benito County on Sunday, bringing the state’s total to six.
The confirmed cases in San Benito County are related: the people are husband and wife and both are 57 years old, according to a statement provided by the County Public Health Services.
The husband had recently traveled from Wuhan, China, but the wife did not, therefore, there has been transmission from person to person.
The couple had stayed home since the return of the man from China, according to Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, the county’s interim public health officer. But on Monday the couple was transported from San Benito County to an undisclosed hospital in San Francisco, said Rachael Kagan, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
The ninth confirmed case in the country was identified Sunday as an adult woman who recently traveled to Wuhan, said the Department of Public Health of Santa Clara County in California.
The patient is visiting Santa Clara County, health officials said, and arrived on January 23 to see her family. She has stayed at home since then, except to seek medical attention twice. “She has been monitored regularly and was never sick enough to be hospitalized,” the statement said.
Health officials in Santa Clara County said Friday that a man became infected in China. Upon returning to northern California on January 24, the man isolated himself and did not leave his home, except to seek medical attention. He was not sick enough to be hospitalized.
Dr. Sara Cody, a county health officer, said officials are communicating with all the people with whom the man may have had contact.
Details are scarce about a confirmed patient from Los Angeles County. He is currently being treated at a local hospital, although the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health did not reveal how long it took to seek treatment after exposure to the virus.
The risk for Los Angeles County is low, the department said.
An Orange County man in his 50s flew to Los Angeles International Airport from Wuhan earlier this month. The county found out on January 23 and the CDC confirmed their results on Saturday. It is in a local hospital.
Arizona
The state health department confirmed that the patient is an “adult member” of the Arizona State University community, although he did not reveal the patient’s age or sex.
The patient called his healthcare provider when he began experiencing mild respiratory symptoms. The CDC confirmed the coronavirus on Sunday.
The patient is not hospitalized, but is isolated in his home, the department said.
University students asked the administration to cancel classes, saying they felt insecure with a case of the virus on campus.
Massachusetts
On Saturday, authorities also confirmed that a student in his 20s on the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts had the virus.
The student had returned from Wuhan on January 29. He sought medical treatment after his return and has been isolated since then. The few close contacts he had were identified and monitored for symptoms.
The case does not represent a greater risk for other students on campus, the medical director of the Boston Public Health Commission told reporters on Saturday. He is “good” in quarantine at home and is being monitored by public health nurses.
Who is still at risk
The CDC is monitoring more than 120 cases in the US. UU. and have ruled out the virus in another 114 patients.
Although health officials have confirmed contact from person to person, they argue that the immediate risk to the public is low.
There are more than 170 confirmed cases of Wuhan coronavirus in more than 20 countries outside of mainland China, although with no deaths so far.
What is being done
On Thursday, the US Department of State. UU. He raised his travel warning to China to “Do not travel” and warned that he could implement travel restrictions with “little or no prior notification.” Earlier this week, the CDC recommended that US citizens avoid non-essential trips to the country.
“If you are a traveler who recently returned from the affected area, we want you to be aware of the symptoms and signs of this coronavirus,” said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC.
Several airlines have temporarily suspended all flights to China. The CDC was checking passengers from China at 20 US airports earlier this week.
Local health officials are taking strong measures against erroneous information related to the virus, including false reports of confirmed cases and conspiracy theories about its spread. The most accurate information comes from county, state and federal health departments and is updated regularly as officials get more information.
The CDC encourages people to follow the influenza season protocol: wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoid sick people and stay home and avoid public situations if they are sick. A coronavirus vaccine would take at least a year to reach the public.
The CDC does not recommend that Americans wear surgical masks in public. Surgical masks are effective against respiratory infections, but not against airborne infections.
Jacqueline Howard, Elizabeth Cohen, Dakin Andone, John Bonifield, Ben Tinker, Jamie Gumbrecht, Nadia Kounang, Jen Christensen, Amanda Sealy, Konstantin Toropin and Amir Vera contributed to this report.
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