The deadly coronavirus outbreak is leaping across continents after infecting thousands all over China – and there’s no end in sight.
The number of cases skyrocketed this week, and the US warned its citizens not to visit China as a wave of panic and infections increase. The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency Thursday, saying the virus is now a risk beyond China.
Here are the key developments in the US this week and what’s next:
A woman infects her husband in Illinois
An Illinois woman suffering from the respiratory virus infected her husband, becoming the first case transmitted from person to person in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.
The couple are in their 60s, and the husband has underlying medical issues, the CDC said. The husband’s infection makes him the sixth person with coronavirus in the US, including patients in Washington state, California and Arizona.
“We understand that this may be concerning, but based on what we know now, our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, told reporters.
Coronavirus has killed 213 people and infected nearly 10,000 others in China, most of them in the hardest-hit city of Wuhan. Outside mainland China, there are 108 confirmed cases, including the six in the United States.
More Americans set to be evacuated from Wuhan
The State Department is planning more evacuation flights for US citizens in Wuhan leaving around Monday. No more details were immediately available.
Just days earlier, it evacuated nearly 200 Americans Wednesday from Wuhan. They are being monitored for symptoms for at least three days at the March Air Reserve Base near Riverside, California.
If health officials determine they don’t pose a danger and can go home, they will be monitored by local officials for the 14-day incubation period. They can choose to remain at the base for the two weeks.
One unidentified person tried to leave the base, and was ordered to stay in quarantine for the entire incubation period or until otherwise cleared, Riverside County Public Health said Thursday.
US issues its highest-level warning for China
US officials are warning citizens not to travel to China after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a global health emergency.
Those currently in China should consider leaving, the State Department said. Meanwhile, the White House announced a new task force that’s meeting daily to discuss the threat of the coronavirus. The task force will help monitor and contain the spread of the virus, and ensure Americans have accurate and up-to-date health and travel information, it said.
The department has tried to dissuade Americans’ travel to China in recent weeks in response to the outbreak. It raised the travel advisory on Monday from Level 2 to Level 3. It’s now at Level 4.
Hoaxes spread along with the panic
As the coronavirus outbreak grows, officials in several US states are cracking down on false information about the spread of the disease.
Most of the false information is originating online, spreading fear about the virus that has sickened thousands worldwide.
In Los Angeles County, public health officials warned residents Thursday that a letter claiming a potential coronavirus outbreak in Carson City is fake. In a suburb north of Los Angeles, a high school in Santa Clarita also issued a statement warning against false social media reports on the coronavirus outbreak.
School districts in San Diego and Arizona are also warning residents about fake images of news stories claiming the coronavirus is spreading locally.
Faceook has said it’s taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation on the disease. It plans to remove content with false claims or conspiracy theories, and is urging leading global health organizations and local authorities to flag such information.
“This includes claims related to false cures or prevention methods — like drinking bleach cures the coronavirus — or claims that create confusion about health resources that are available,” Facebook said in a statement.
Some states push for tougher measures
Some states are calling for tougher measures to help combat the virus.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee asked US federal health officials to expand screenings to passengers returning to the United States from China at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the country’s first confirmed case of the deadly virus entered. Inslee wants the CDC to collect passengers’ health history and temperature readings.
In Hawaii, the state closest to the coronavirus outbreak, officials are urging residents to avoid discretionary trips to China. There are currently no cases of coronavirus in Hawaii, and officials said there’s minimal risk to people on the islands.
