Since the virus outbreak began, 259 people have died in China and as of Friday 11,791 confirmed cases in the country, according to Reuters.
By RACHEL WOLF, REUTERSPeople walk on a skybridge from the emergency room building at Providence Regional Medical Center after a spokesman from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said a traveler from China has been the first person in the United States to be diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus, in (photo credit: REUTERS/LINDSEY WASSON)
The Massachusetts state government confirmed on Saturday that a man in his 20s who returned from Wuhan, China was diagnosed with coronavirus, marking the state’s first case of the disease. The man was reportedly isolated and his “close contacts” are being monitored for any symptoms of coronavirus. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department wrote in a press release that the man “was seen at a local clinic and hospital, but was never was sick enough to require hospitalization.” They also noted that he is "self-isolating" at home and that he did not leave his home except to receive medical care. He is reportedly in touch with Public Health Department staff regarding his symptoms. The release also noted that the man is a resident of Santa Clara County.The Massachusetts state government wrote in its press release that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notified the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) on Friday. “We are grateful that this young man is recovering and sought medical attention immediately,’’ said Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD. MPH. "Massachusetts has been preparing for a possible case of this new coronavirus, and we were fortunate that astute clinicians took appropriate action quickly. Again, the risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts.”“Our priority is not only to protect and inform the residents of Boston but also to help this man continue to recover. We are pleased that he is doing well,” said BPHC Executive Director Rita Nieves. “Right now, we are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently. The risk to the general public remains low. And we continue to be confident we are in a good position to respond to this developing situation.”This is the eighth case of coronavirus in the United States, but the Massachusetts government said in a press release that the risk of coronavirus “remains low” in the state. Other cases have been confirmed in California, Illinois, Washington state and Arizona.The flu-like coronavirus, which is believed to have originated in a market that traded illegally in wildlife in Wuhan, Hubei's provincial capital, has so far resulted in 259 deaths in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday.All but one of the patients in the United States was believed to have contracted the disease while they were traveling in the Wuhan area. US officials this week reported the first human-to-human transmission of the disease in the United States in Illinois.Concerns about the virus spurred the Trump administration to declare a public health emergency and bar entry to the United States for foreign nationals who have recently visited China.In addition, US citizens who have traveled within the past two weeks to Hubei will be subject to a mandatory quarantine of 14 days, believed to be the incubation period of the virus, officials said.
Americans who visited other parts of mainland China will undergo special health screening upon their return, followed by up to 14 days of "monitored self-quarantine," under the temporary restrictions.In a statement on Saturday, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Mark Esper approved a request for assistance from the Department of Health and Human Services for housing support for 1,000 people who may be subject to quarantine on arrival from overseas.Health officials had asked the Defense Department to provide several facilities capable of housing at least 250 people in individual rooms through Feb. 29.The Pentagon said Defense Department personnel would only provide housing support and HHS would be responsible for all care and transportation. Four military installations have been selected: two in California, one in Colorado, and one in Texas."DOD personnel will not be directly in contact with the evacuees and evacuees will not have access to any base location other than their assigned housing," the Pentagon said.The first quarantines of US citizens potentially exposed to coronavirus in China began hours before the White House announcement on Friday.Nearly 200 Americans evacuated earlier this week from Wuhan and voluntarily confined to a California military air base for 72 hours of health screenings were placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine on Friday.It marked the CDC's first quarantine order in 50 years.Airlines around the world have suspended flights to China, international companies have shut stores and foreign governments have taken their citizens out of the country in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
