Wuhan coronavirus: Fifth case of deadly disease confirmed in US even as CDC awaits test results of 70 others
Five people in the US have been diagnosed with the deadly and mysterious Wuhan Coronavirus, confirms the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
On Sunday, the US health officials confirmed three cases— one in Arizona and one each in California's Los Angeles County and Orange County. The first case was detected in Washington on Tuesday, while the second case in Chicago was reported on Friday.
"These patients recently returned to the US from Wuhan, China, where an outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus has been ongoing since December 2019," says the CDC in its statement. The viral disease has sickened over 2,800 people, killing 80 others in China. Besides the US, several other countries have confirmed the Wuhan coronavirus in Canada, France, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Australia, Nepal, and Malaysia.
The Los Angeles County Health Department said that people should not panic as there is no immediate threat to the public. “Because novel coronavirus is new, we are learning more each day about transmission patterns and incubation periods. We will keep everyone informed as more information becomes available. The risk of transmission of coronavirus in LA County remains low,” Dr Barbara Ferrer, Director of Public Health said, in a press statement.
The Arizona patient, who is a student at Arizona State University in Tempe, is not severely ill and is being kept in isolation at a local hospital. In Southern California, the two confirmed patients are also believed to be kept in isolation.
Currently, the CDC is monitoring the situation closely and carrying out investigations to trace where the patients went after returning to the US and to identify any of their close contacts who may have been exposed to the infection.
The CDC has tested over 100 samples from 26 states, out of which five have tested positive and 25 have tested negative. The authorities are awaiting results for 70 other patients.
As of today, the health agency has not detected person-to-person transmission in the US. But they suspect more cases may emerge in the coming days and weeks, including the possibility of a person-to-person spread. While this is a serious public health threat, CDC continues to believe that people have a minimal risk of contracting the disease.
"The US has faced multiple pandemics before of varying degrees and severity. We need to be preparing as if this is a pandemic, but I continue to hope that it is not," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told NBC news.