CORONA Main Coronavirus thread
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TxGal
Day by day
Here's the link if someone doesn't beat me to it!
www.foxnews.com
First case of China-linked coronavirus reported in US, federal officials say
At least one person in the United States is infected with the mysterious pneumonia-like virus that’s killed at least six people and sickened some 300 others since the illness was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The case of the new coronavirus was confirmed in a man in Seattle, Washington, Reuters reported.
The outbreak has now affected five countries including the US. In addition to China, officials in Thailand, South Korea, and Japan have also reported cases, according to the CDC.
First case of China-linked coronavirus reported in US, federal officials say
At least one person in the United States is infected with the mysterious pneumonia-like virus that began in China.
www.foxnews.com
First case of China-linked coronavirus reported in US, federal officials say
At least one person in the United States is infected with the mysterious pneumonia-like virus that’s killed at least six people and sickened some 300 others since the illness was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan.
The case of the new coronavirus was confirmed in a man in Seattle, Washington, Reuters reported.
The outbreak has now affected five countries including the US. In addition to China, officials in Thailand, South Korea, and Japan have also reported cases, according to the CDC.
TxGal
Day by day
Oh my, if there is a case in FL and now a case in WA, things are definitely picking up fast.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
There are something like 10K chinese college students and/or visa workers in this country on any given day, many of which go back to China for winter/christmas break.
They fly back here and if one has the virus on one of those planes filled with a hundred plus passengers... well do the math!
TxGal
Day by day
CDC Confirms Coronavirus Case In Seattle, Expects More Cases To Come
by Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/21/2020 - 14:08
Update (1335ET): The CDC has confirmed that a traveler from China has been diagnosed in Seattle with the Wuhan Coronavirus.
The patient, who was hospitalized with pneumonia last week, recently had traveled to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak appears to have originated, federal officials have found.
Officials declined to identify the patient, who was said to be quite ill.
Additionally, on a conference call, the CDC confirmed it expects more US cases to come.
The outbreak began at a market in China and now has spread to at least four other countries, and has killed at least six people and sickened hundreds more in Asia.
Broadly speaking, stocks are getting hammered on this but there is one silver lining however, prices for flu-shot manufacturers are soaring: Nanovaricides +240%, Novavax +53%, Inovio Pharma +10%, and Vaxart +14%.
* * *
CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton (@AnneClaireCNN) tweeted an ominous warning:
"The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to announce this afternoon that the first case of Wuhan coronavirus has been reported in the United States, in Washington state, a federal source outside the CDC tells CNN."
And the market reacted rapidly...
Transports are the worst hit on the day, already suffering from coronavirus fears overnight...
Can The Fed just print up some anti-virus?
As we detailed earlier, the global risk-off wave had started in the overnight hours of Monday as the full extent of the Chinese coronavirus scare became apparent to traders, has rolled into the cash session Tuesday with airline, casino and gaming, hotel, and travel stocks, taking a leg lower.
Delta Air -3.50%, United Airlines Holdings -3.20%, Southwest Airlines -1.5%, and American Airlines Group -2.50%, were all sold as the outbreak may crimp global air travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday period.
Investors dumped Wynn Resorts -4.45%, Las Vegas Sands Corp -4%, and MGM Resorts International -3%, as the virus threatens to decrease foot traffic.
Hotels were also sold, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts -1%, Choice Hotels International -1%, and Extended Stay America -1%.
Travel stocks were dumped, Expedia Group -1%, Booking Holdings -2.20%, TripAdvisor Inc -1%, and Trip.com -10%.
Investors are unloading sensitive travel stocks because confirmed cases of coronavirus have tripled since Monday and spread to other countries around China with the risk of spreading across the world.
Fears of a 2002-03 outbreak of SARs has been on everyone’s mind to start the week – and with a Lunar New Year holiday fast approaching – the spread of the virus could broaden in the days ahead.
Travel sensitive stocks have taken a beating in Asia, Europe, and the US – basically across the world on Tuesday, as investors brace for new cases of the virus that is quickly spreading.
Could this mean world stocks are due for a pullback?
by Tyler Durden
Tue, 01/21/2020 - 14:08
Update (1335ET): The CDC has confirmed that a traveler from China has been diagnosed in Seattle with the Wuhan Coronavirus.
The patient, who was hospitalized with pneumonia last week, recently had traveled to Wuhan, China, where the outbreak appears to have originated, federal officials have found.
Officials declined to identify the patient, who was said to be quite ill.
Additionally, on a conference call, the CDC confirmed it expects more US cases to come.
The outbreak began at a market in China and now has spread to at least four other countries, and has killed at least six people and sickened hundreds more in Asia.
Broadly speaking, stocks are getting hammered on this but there is one silver lining however, prices for flu-shot manufacturers are soaring: Nanovaricides +240%, Novavax +53%, Inovio Pharma +10%, and Vaxart +14%.
* * *
CNN's AnneClaire Stapleton (@AnneClaireCNN) tweeted an ominous warning:
"The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to announce this afternoon that the first case of Wuhan coronavirus has been reported in the United States, in Washington state, a federal source outside the CDC tells CNN."
And the market reacted rapidly...
Transports are the worst hit on the day, already suffering from coronavirus fears overnight...
Can The Fed just print up some anti-virus?
As we detailed earlier, the global risk-off wave had started in the overnight hours of Monday as the full extent of the Chinese coronavirus scare became apparent to traders, has rolled into the cash session Tuesday with airline, casino and gaming, hotel, and travel stocks, taking a leg lower.
Delta Air -3.50%, United Airlines Holdings -3.20%, Southwest Airlines -1.5%, and American Airlines Group -2.50%, were all sold as the outbreak may crimp global air travel during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday period.
Investors dumped Wynn Resorts -4.45%, Las Vegas Sands Corp -4%, and MGM Resorts International -3%, as the virus threatens to decrease foot traffic.
Hotels were also sold, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts -1%, Choice Hotels International -1%, and Extended Stay America -1%.
Travel stocks were dumped, Expedia Group -1%, Booking Holdings -2.20%, TripAdvisor Inc -1%, and Trip.com -10%.
Investors are unloading sensitive travel stocks because confirmed cases of coronavirus have tripled since Monday and spread to other countries around China with the risk of spreading across the world.
Fears of a 2002-03 outbreak of SARs has been on everyone’s mind to start the week – and with a Lunar New Year holiday fast approaching – the spread of the virus could broaden in the days ahead.
Travel sensitive stocks have taken a beating in Asia, Europe, and the US – basically across the world on Tuesday, as investors brace for new cases of the virus that is quickly spreading.
Could this mean world stocks are due for a pullback?
The good news is that there aren't that many cases in Wuhan considering the millions of people who live there.
The case in WA is someone who visited Wuhan, so isn't human to human (HTH) transmitted. Edited to add: That particular case wasn't HTH, not that it isn't happening in other cases.
If you come down with something, its most likely to be just the regular flu. (Not that it's fun and without possible complications.)
And that is my positive post for this thread.
I hope there'll be more.
The case in WA is someone who visited Wuhan, so isn't human to human (HTH) transmitted. Edited to add: That particular case wasn't HTH, not that it isn't happening in other cases.
If you come down with something, its most likely to be just the regular flu. (Not that it's fun and without possible complications.)
And that is my positive post for this thread.
I hope there'll be more.
SouthernBreeze
Has No Life - Lives on TB
I haven't seen anything about a case being in Florida.
TxGal
Day by day
One of our adult kids works at a major university in Tx. Those kids just got back for spring semester not long ago...
This is not good.
I just told DH that I'll be doing any shopping I have to do in stores not frequented by college students or in another town entirely. It will help limit our exposure a lot.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
yes and no. people from small towns often work in large towns/cities where there is a greater chance of infection.
Last edited:
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Okay, this seals it. The disease is here now. People are going to go bat poop crazy now.
TxGal
Day by day
l'll second that. Many folks living around us work in College Station, home of Texas A&M University...and we're about 1.5 hrs away. And in those 'bigger' towns is most of the health care and shopping for us very small, more rural/ranch areas.
I can feel the need starting to maybe do a large stock-up run of basics just in case we start seeing a case here and there more locally. Stuff we'd use anyhow, but I'd like to avoid more populated areas until more info comes out.
TxGal
Day by day
Well, DD, inspite of all the yucky news, you just made me chuckle out loud. :-)
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
OC drives mass transit and carries gobs of university students M-F and yes I'm quite concerned.
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
Seriously here this takes things to the next level. In all things Americana nothing is real here in CONUS until it actually happens here. YEP, this disease is now on the US public's radar. And the official term is BAT SHIT CRAZY.
Krayola
Veteran Member
Many Walmarts have free grocery pickup so you don't even have to go inside the store. I like it. I do my online order the day before and schedule a 1 hour window for pickup. When I get to the store, they have a designated parking area. I pull up, call them, and they roll out my groceries 90 seconds later. You do have to sign for it (germs) but at least you avoid going inside the store.
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
I left this out. 
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE! And don't forget the 7P's.
Live now,
The first U.S. case of the China virus has been detected. The person infected is a resident of Washington state who visited Wuhan. Get the latest in our LIVE CHINA VIRUS COVERAGE. The condition of the American infected with the Chinese virus is not clear. Over 300 people have now been infected by the virus, the Novel Coronavirus, which causes pneumonia. Infected people have been found in countries including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand, with suspected infections in the Philippines and Australia. In this interactive live stream, host Steve Lookner brings you the latest updates on the first American infected with the China Virus, and he'll also read your comments and questions on the air!
First US Case of China Virus Detected - LIVE BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwIu2zns0lY
The first U.S. case of the China virus has been detected. The person infected is a resident of Washington state who visited Wuhan. Get the latest in our LIVE CHINA VIRUS COVERAGE. The condition of the American infected with the Chinese virus is not clear. Over 300 people have now been infected by the virus, the Novel Coronavirus, which causes pneumonia. Infected people have been found in countries including China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand, with suspected infections in the Philippines and Australia. In this interactive live stream, host Steve Lookner brings you the latest updates on the first American infected with the China Virus, and he'll also read your comments and questions on the air!
First US Case of China Virus Detected - LIVE BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE
mudlogger
Veteran Member
I never, ever use anyone's pen but my own.
TheSearcher
Are you sure about that?
That looks creepily manufactured...
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Yes if he deems it necessary.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
You can wear a mask and a pair of nitrile gloves when you have to interact with that clerk. Toss into a plastic zip bag and toss into the trash when you're done.
@[B]WHO[/B]
FollowFollow @WHO
More
WHO situation report on novel#coronavirus (2019-nCoV)- 21 January 2020 http://bit.ly/3ayAJpZ (data from 20 January 2020)
It does not include the US so it's not a comprehensive list.
FollowFollow @WHO
More
WHO situation report on novel
It does not include the US so it's not a comprehensive list.
During winter I will sometimes order groceries online from Woodman's and Aldi's. Delivery is around $9.95 depending on how much you tip.
It is a very nice option when the weather forecast is bad or one has limited mobility. Really worth it when one does not want to stand in long checkout lines, schlep through a massive store or battle the elements clutching one's Frozen Bags of Loneliness.
packyderms_wife
Neither here nor there.
Aldi delivers?
jward
passin' thru
Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) Tweeted:
.@WHO has issued the first of what I hope will be regular situation reports on #nCoV2019. I'm struck by this on the spectrum of illness. There's more severe illness than the reporting to date reflects, I think.
https://t.co/kCa5VgVhMV Helen Branswell on Twitter View: https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1219724612122091521?s=20
.@WHO has issued the first of what I hope will be regular situation reports on #nCoV2019. I'm struck by this on the spectrum of illness. There's more severe illness than the reporting to date reflects, I think.
https://t.co/kCa5VgVhMV Helen Branswell on Twitter View: https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1219724612122091521?s=20
Following up on PPE (personal protective equipment) aspects of this news...
====================
medicalxpress.com
September 3, 2019
Surgical masks as good as respirators for flu and respiratory virus protection
by UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dr. Trish Perl. Credit: UTSW
Researchers may finally have an answer in the long-running controversy over whether the common surgical mask is as effective as more expensive respirator-type masks in protecting health care workers from flu and other respiratory viruses.
A study published today in JAMA compared the ubiquitous surgical (or medical) mask, which costs about a dime, to a less commonly used respirator called an N95, which costs around $1. The study reported "no significant difference in the effectiveness" of medical masks vs. N95 respirators for prevention of influenza or other viral respiratory illness.
"This study showed there is no difference in incidence of viral respiratory transmission among health care workers wearing the two types of protection," said Dr. Trish Perl, Chief of UT Southwestern's Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine and the report's senior author. "This finding is important from a public policy standpoint because it informs about what should be recommended and what kind of protective apparel should be kept available for outbreaks."
Medical personnel—in particular nurses, doctors, and others with direct patient contact—are at risk when treating patients with contagious diseases such as influenza (flu). A large study conducted in a New York hospital system after the 2009 outbreak of H1N1, or swine flu, found almost 30 percent of health care workers in emergency departments contracted the disease themselves, Dr. Perl said.
During that pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended using the tighter-fitting N95 respirators, designed to fit closely over the nose and mouth and filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, rather than the looser-fitting surgical masks routinely worn by health care workers, Dr. Perl said. But some facilities had trouble replenishing N95s as supplies were used.
In addition, there are concerns health care workers might be less vigilant about wearing the N95 respirators since many perceive them to be less comfortable than medical masks, such as making it harder to breathe and being warmer on the wearer's face.
Earlier clinical studies comparing the masks and respirators yielded mixed results, said Dr. Perl, also a Professor of Internal Medicine who holds the Jay P. Sanford Professorship in Infectious Diseases.
The new study was performed at multiple medical settings in seven cities around the country, including Houston, Denver, Washington, and New York, by researchers at the University of Texas, the CDC, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, Children's Hospital Colorado, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Florida, and several Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. Researchers collected data during four flu seasons between 2011 and 2015, examining the incidence of flu and acute respiratory illnesses in the almost 2,400 health care workers who completed the study.
The project was funded by the CDC, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and was founded in the years after Sept. 11, 2001, to help secure the nation against biological and other threats.
"It was a huge and important study—the largest ever done on this issue in North America," Dr. Perl said.
In the end, 207 laboratory-confirmed influenza infections occurred in the N95 groups versus 193 among medical mask wearers, according to the report. In addition, there were 2,734 cases of influenza-like symptoms, laboratory-confirmed respiratory illnesses, and acute or laboratory-detected respiratory infections (where the worker may not have felt ill) in the N95 groups, compared with 3,039 such events among medical mask wearers.
"The takeaway is that this study shows one type of protective equipment is not superior to the other," she said. "Facilities have several options to provide protection to their staff—which include surgical masks—and can feel that staff are protected from seasonal influenza. Our study supports that in the outpatient setting there was no difference between the tested protections."
Dr. Perl said she expects more studies to arise from the data collected in this report; she now plans to investigate the dynamics of virus transmission to better understand how respiratory viruses are spread.
====================
Surgical masks as good as respirators for flu and respiratory virus protection
Researchers may finally have an answer in the long-running controversy over whether the common surgical mask is as effective as more expensive respirator-type masks in protecting health care workers from flu and other respiratory viruses.
September 3, 2019
Surgical masks as good as respirators for flu and respiratory virus protection
by UT Southwestern Medical Center
Researchers may finally have an answer in the long-running controversy over whether the common surgical mask is as effective as more expensive respirator-type masks in protecting health care workers from flu and other respiratory viruses.
A study published today in JAMA compared the ubiquitous surgical (or medical) mask, which costs about a dime, to a less commonly used respirator called an N95, which costs around $1. The study reported "no significant difference in the effectiveness" of medical masks vs. N95 respirators for prevention of influenza or other viral respiratory illness.
"This study showed there is no difference in incidence of viral respiratory transmission among health care workers wearing the two types of protection," said Dr. Trish Perl, Chief of UT Southwestern's Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine and the report's senior author. "This finding is important from a public policy standpoint because it informs about what should be recommended and what kind of protective apparel should be kept available for outbreaks."
Medical personnel—in particular nurses, doctors, and others with direct patient contact—are at risk when treating patients with contagious diseases such as influenza (flu). A large study conducted in a New York hospital system after the 2009 outbreak of H1N1, or swine flu, found almost 30 percent of health care workers in emergency departments contracted the disease themselves, Dr. Perl said.
During that pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended using the tighter-fitting N95 respirators, designed to fit closely over the nose and mouth and filter at least 95 percent of airborne particles, rather than the looser-fitting surgical masks routinely worn by health care workers, Dr. Perl said. But some facilities had trouble replenishing N95s as supplies were used.
In addition, there are concerns health care workers might be less vigilant about wearing the N95 respirators since many perceive them to be less comfortable than medical masks, such as making it harder to breathe and being warmer on the wearer's face.
Earlier clinical studies comparing the masks and respirators yielded mixed results, said Dr. Perl, also a Professor of Internal Medicine who holds the Jay P. Sanford Professorship in Infectious Diseases.
The new study was performed at multiple medical settings in seven cities around the country, including Houston, Denver, Washington, and New York, by researchers at the University of Texas, the CDC, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Colorado, Children's Hospital Colorado, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Florida, and several Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. Researchers collected data during four flu seasons between 2011 and 2015, examining the incidence of flu and acute respiratory illnesses in the almost 2,400 health care workers who completed the study.
The project was funded by the CDC, the Veterans Health Administration, and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and was founded in the years after Sept. 11, 2001, to help secure the nation against biological and other threats.
"It was a huge and important study—the largest ever done on this issue in North America," Dr. Perl said.
In the end, 207 laboratory-confirmed influenza infections occurred in the N95 groups versus 193 among medical mask wearers, according to the report. In addition, there were 2,734 cases of influenza-like symptoms, laboratory-confirmed respiratory illnesses, and acute or laboratory-detected respiratory infections (where the worker may not have felt ill) in the N95 groups, compared with 3,039 such events among medical mask wearers.
"The takeaway is that this study shows one type of protective equipment is not superior to the other," she said. "Facilities have several options to provide protection to their staff—which include surgical masks—and can feel that staff are protected from seasonal influenza. Our study supports that in the outpatient setting there was no difference between the tested protections."
Dr. Perl said she expects more studies to arise from the data collected in this report; she now plans to investigate the dynamics of virus transmission to better understand how respiratory viruses are spread.
jward
passin' thru
Helen Branswell (@HelenBranswell) Tweeted:
The first U.S. #nCoV2019 case confirmed.
Man in his 30s, Washington State. In good condition. Didn't visit wet markets, had no known contact with sick people.
CDC details first U.S. case of novel virus spreading in China View: https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1219702194917822464?s=20
The first U.S. #nCoV2019 case confirmed.
Man in his 30s, Washington State. In good condition. Didn't visit wet markets, had no known contact with sick people.
CDC details first U.S. case of novel virus spreading in China View: https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1219702194917822464?s=20
jward
passin' thru
HEALTH
CDC details first U.S. case of novel virus spreading in China
By HELEN BRANSWELL @HelenBranswell
JANUARY 21, 2020
Medical staff transfer patients to Jin Yintan hospital in Wuhan, China.GETTY IMAGES
Aman in Washington state has been diagnosed with a novel infection racing through China, the first time someone in the United States has been confirmed to have the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The man, who in his 30s, had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, which is where the outbreak is believed to have begun, officials said. He is currently listed in good condition.
The U.S. is the fifth country outside of China to report cases of the virus, provisionally known as 2019-nCoV. Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have picked up a handful of cases, all in people who had recently been in Wuhan
Also on Tuesday, the World Health Organization on Tuesday raised the possibility that the new virus may be transmitting in an ongoing, sustained manner between people — which, if confirmed, would make it significantly more difficult to stop.
NEWSLETTERS
The agency’s Western Pacific Regional office, which covers China and neighboring countries, said on Twitter that new information “suggests there may now be sustained human-to-human transmission” — but cautioned that more “information and analysis” are needed before making that conclusion.
A committee of experts will meet Wednesday to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — a PHEIC in global health parlance.
Chinese authorities, who first alerted the world to the existence of the outbreak on Dec. 31, have diagnosed nearly 300 cases to date. An update from the WHO said that of 278 cases reported as of Jan. 20, 51 were severely ill, 12 were in critical condition and six had died.
The CDC announced last week it would begin to screen passengers returning from Wuhan at three airports: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and John F. Kennedy in New York. On Tuesday, CDC officials said two more airports — Atlanta and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — would be added to that list.
Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s center of quarantine and global migration, said that as cases in China started to increase rapidly over the weekend, CDC alerted the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation that all flights from Wuhan to the United States should be funneled through the five airports, where arriving passengers will have their temperatures taken for sign of illness.
“This idea of funneling means redirecting, reissuing tickets so all the arriving passengers from Wuhan would come into the airports that we can surge this capacity at,” Cetron said, adding other international airports are distributing information for passengers in English and Mandarin.
Related:
WHO raises possibility of ‘sustained’ human-to-human transmission of new virus in China
The Washington state man arrived back in the United States on Jan. 15, two days before the airport screening began. He became ill after his return and contacted his doctor on Jan. 19, informing the physician that he had recently traveled to Wuhan.
A sample from the man was flown to the CDC in Atlanta. The next day — Monday — testing at the agency confirmed that this was the first U.S. case. He is being held in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash., with what was described as a mild case of pneumonia.
Tracing of people who have been in contact with the man began Tuesday, said Dr. John Wiesman, Washington’s secretary of health. The CDC has sent a team of experts to Washington to help with the investigation.
In announcing the screening plan last week, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said she expected the United States would see cases. She reiterated that caution on Tuesday.
“This is an evolving situation and … we do expect additional cases in the United States and globally,” Messonnier said. “The confirmation that human-to-human spread with this virus is occurring in Asia certainly raises our level of concern. But we continue to believe the risk of this novel coronavirus to the American public at large remains low at this time.”
Andrew Joseph contributed reporting.
posted for fair use
www.statnews.com
CDC details first U.S. case of novel virus spreading in China
By HELEN BRANSWELL @HelenBranswell
JANUARY 21, 2020
Aman in Washington state has been diagnosed with a novel infection racing through China, the first time someone in the United States has been confirmed to have the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday.
The man, who in his 30s, had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, which is where the outbreak is believed to have begun, officials said. He is currently listed in good condition.
The U.S. is the fifth country outside of China to report cases of the virus, provisionally known as 2019-nCoV. Thailand, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have picked up a handful of cases, all in people who had recently been in Wuhan
Also on Tuesday, the World Health Organization on Tuesday raised the possibility that the new virus may be transmitting in an ongoing, sustained manner between people — which, if confirmed, would make it significantly more difficult to stop.
NEWSLETTERS
The agency’s Western Pacific Regional office, which covers China and neighboring countries, said on Twitter that new information “suggests there may now be sustained human-to-human transmission” — but cautioned that more “information and analysis” are needed before making that conclusion.
A committee of experts will meet Wednesday to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern — a PHEIC in global health parlance.
Chinese authorities, who first alerted the world to the existence of the outbreak on Dec. 31, have diagnosed nearly 300 cases to date. An update from the WHO said that of 278 cases reported as of Jan. 20, 51 were severely ill, 12 were in critical condition and six had died.
The CDC announced last week it would begin to screen passengers returning from Wuhan at three airports: San Francisco, Los Angeles, and John F. Kennedy in New York. On Tuesday, CDC officials said two more airports — Atlanta and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport — would be added to that list.
Dr. Martin Cetron, director of the CDC’s center of quarantine and global migration, said that as cases in China started to increase rapidly over the weekend, CDC alerted the departments of Homeland Security and Transportation that all flights from Wuhan to the United States should be funneled through the five airports, where arriving passengers will have their temperatures taken for sign of illness.
“This idea of funneling means redirecting, reissuing tickets so all the arriving passengers from Wuhan would come into the airports that we can surge this capacity at,” Cetron said, adding other international airports are distributing information for passengers in English and Mandarin.
Related:
WHO raises possibility of ‘sustained’ human-to-human transmission of new virus in China
The Washington state man arrived back in the United States on Jan. 15, two days before the airport screening began. He became ill after his return and contacted his doctor on Jan. 19, informing the physician that he had recently traveled to Wuhan.
A sample from the man was flown to the CDC in Atlanta. The next day — Monday — testing at the agency confirmed that this was the first U.S. case. He is being held in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash., with what was described as a mild case of pneumonia.
Tracing of people who have been in contact with the man began Tuesday, said Dr. John Wiesman, Washington’s secretary of health. The CDC has sent a team of experts to Washington to help with the investigation.
In announcing the screening plan last week, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said she expected the United States would see cases. She reiterated that caution on Tuesday.
“This is an evolving situation and … we do expect additional cases in the United States and globally,” Messonnier said. “The confirmation that human-to-human spread with this virus is occurring in Asia certainly raises our level of concern. But we continue to believe the risk of this novel coronavirus to the American public at large remains low at this time.”
Andrew Joseph contributed reporting.
posted for fair use
CDC details first U.S. case of novel virus spreading in China
A man in Washington state has been diagnosed with the virus, the first time someone in the United States has been confirmed to have it,
www.statnews.com
TxGal
Day by day
View: https://twitter.com/HelenBranswell/status/1219702194917822464
So he didn't visit a wet market, had no known contact with someone sick. Have to wonder, was he already contagious on a plane, did he pick it up on a plane, etc. The options are many.
So he didn't visit a wet market, had no known contact with someone sick. Have to wonder, was he already contagious on a plane, did he pick it up on a plane, etc. The options are many.