The virus has spread to at least 15 states, including Washington where an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was reported to also be infected.
The COVID-19 virus death toll in the U.S. has climbed to nine, following three more deaths in Washington state since Tuesday.
"What is happening now in the United States may be the beginning of what is happening abroad," said the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases , Dr. Nancy Messonnier, noting the pattern seen in China, where older people with existing health conditions are nearly twice as more likely to become seriously ill than younger, healthier individuals, the AP reported.
"I am optimistic but I want to remain humble," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the CDC.Eight of the deaths in Washington state were reported to be in King County, while one of them was in the neighboring Snohomish County. The state now has at least 27 confirmed cases, with 21 in King County, while the remaining six are in Snohomish County, according to the Washington State Department of Health.
Concern for"vulnerable populations such as people over 60, those with underlying health conditions or who are immune compromised," have been raised following the recent outbreak and more cases are expected in the coming days, King County's health officials noted in a statement.Health authorities in King County are also planning to purchase a local motel and set up modular units in public parking lots where infected patients can be isolated, NBC News reports.
The department added that the virus is"currently not widespread in North Carolina" and officials are in the process of identifying close contacts to monitor symptoms and contain the spread. A man riding the subway wears a medical facemark out of concern over the Coronavirus in the Brooklyn borough of New York City February 2, 2020.New York City's transit system is also introducing heightened precautionary measures in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus.
"While the risk of infection remains low, the expanded presence of the virus in our community is a reality we should all prepare for," said Dr. Lisa Hernandez, the health officer for the City of Berkeley. "At this time, of the total confirmed cases in the county, only two have been determined to be community transmission; four are travel related; three are close contacts to known cases; and the two new cases remain under investigation," the department said.
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