Coronavirus: California patient is first US case with no link to travel abroad, hints at community spread
An individual from California contracted COVID-19, despite not traveling out of the country or being in contact with an infected person. This could be the first "possible case of community spread" in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Community spread means the spread of an illness for which the origin of infection is unknown. However, the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected, the CDC explains.
“At this time, the patient’s exposure is unknown," the CDC said in a statement, as they carry out investigations to trace out the origins.
The total number of confirmed cases in the country is 15, excluding the 45 Americans who were rescued from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and China.
The agency had earlier warned of community spread in the US after South Korea, Iran and Italy detected a spate of cases linked to the same. This rise meant that the US could struggle to contain the virus at its borders, according to the CDC.
“As we have seen from recent countries with community spread when it has hit those countries, it has moved quite rapidly. We want to make sure the American public is prepared,” Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a press briefing.
But the Trump administration has downplayed the situation, saying that the situation is under control. Trump has accused MSNBC and CNN of “doing everything possible to make the Coronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets".
"We are going to continue taking those measures but we are realistic that we will see more cases and as we see more cases we might have to take community mitigation efforts," Health Secretary Alex Azar said during a press briefing.
What is more, there is no vaccine for the disease yet. This week, the US began a human trial, which will test the efficacy of an antiviral drug named remdesivir. Initial results from a trial in China showed promising results.
For now, the CDC is considering non-pharmaceutical interventions, which include measures such as personal protective gear, social distancing --teleschooling and working remotely and disinfecting public places.