Two cases of deadly coronavirus confirmed in California, bringing US total to five
Two more people in the United States, both from Southern California, have been confirmed with 2019 Novel Coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified Orange County officials in Southern California on Saturday that a patient, who had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, the center of the outbreak, had tested positive for the virus, NBC News reported.
The patient is in good condition in isolation in a local hospital, according to the network.
A second person in Los Angeles County, who also had traveled to Wuhan, has been confirmed with coronavirus, the Los Angeles Times reported. That person also has been hospitalized.
In a statement released to The Sacramento Bee, the California Department of Public Health said: “The state will continue to monitor the situation, work with partners to identify any possible cases, provide information and consultation to ensure that possible cases are managed safely, support laboratory testing, and implement recommendations from the CDC.”
A fifth case was confirmed Sunday in Arizona, the CDC reported.
Health officials in China also announced the virus is “much more contagious” than originally thought, with an incubation period of 10 to 14 days, giving it more opportunities to spread, The New York Times reports.
The first case in the U.S. was identified on Jan. 21. A Washington man in his 30s began feeling ill after he returned from a trip to Wuhan. He’s in “stable condition” at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, The Washington Post reported.
The second U.S. case was confirmed Friday in Chicago, The Chicago Tribune reported.
“While originally thought to be spreading from animal-to-person, there are growing indications that limited person-to-person spread is happening. It’s unclear how easily this virus is spreading between people,” the CDC said.
Chinese cities, including Beijing and Wuhan, banned large gatherings for the Lunar New Year in an attempt to stop the spread of the outbreak, The Washington Post reported.
Wuhan was put on lockdown on Jan. 22, with authorities banning transportation and saying “nobody was to be allowed out,” according to CBS. Transportation was also suspended in Huanggang and Ezhou, USA Today reported.
The virus has infected hundreds of people so far and killed at least 56 people in China, according to The New York Times.
Airports in London, New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and more have begun screening passengers coming from China for symptoms of the virus, according to The Washington Post.
The World Health Organization is currently considering whether to declare a global health emergency over the outbreak, The Guardian reported.
On Thursday, the White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the coronavirus outbreak in China and “remains consistently vigilant” about preventing a widespread outbreak in the U.S.
Public health officials say person-to-person transmission of the virus may be possible.
“At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people,” the CDC said.
Symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) are “mild to severe respiratory illness” with fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC.
“Currently, cases infected in China have been exported to the US, Thailand, Japan and Republic of Korea. It is expected that more cases will be exported to other countries, and that further transmission may occur,” the WHO said Thursday.
This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 9:35 AM with the headline "Two cases of deadly coronavirus confirmed in California, bringing US total to five."