UPDATED Sunday, 1/26/20 12:00 pm: CNN reports, “The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the county, according to a statement from the department. It is the fourth confirmed case in the United States.” The fifth US case has just been reported in Maricopa, Arizona.
Per a statement released by the Los Angeles County Department of Health they are, “…working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal, state and local agencies to monitor this novel coronavirus that has emerged from Wuhan, China, over the past few weeks. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available,” the department said in a statement.
The cases of 2019-nCoV currently reported in the US are in Washington State, Chicago, Orange County, California and Los Angeles. Globally, 50 deaths have been reported.
UPDATED JANUARY 24, 9:30 am This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has met to determine whether to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to the expanding outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Currently, WHO is considering the outbreak urgent and will reconvene to assess epidemiological evolution and PHEIC status.
To date, 26 deaths and more than 830 cases of patients infected with Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) have been reported. There are two victims currently reported in the United States — one in Washington state and the other in Chicago, IL. A total of 8,420 people are reported to be under observation.
The cities of Wuhan, Huanggang, Ezhou are under lockdown — closure of public transportation systems — as the reach of 2019-nCoV is spreading throughout Asia. The combined population of those cities is 18 million.
Per CNN, “The train station and airport in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, were shut down, and ferry, subway and bus service was halted. Normally bustling streets, shopping malls, restaurants and other public spaces in the city of 11 million were eerily quiet. Police checked all incoming vehicles but did not close off the roads.”
2019-nCoV cases have been reported in Japan, Thailand, the Republic of Korea, with one possible case in Singapore. A US case was reported this week (read more below) of a Washington State resident that had been traveling in Wuhan.
Airport health screenings have been instituted in the US, UK and Australia.
A statement from WHO said: “It is expected that further international exportation of cases may appear in any country. Thus, all countries should be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation and case management, contact tracing and prevention of onward spread of 2019-nCoV infection, and to share full data with WHO.”
Earlier this week, Parentology shared details of 2019-nCoV’s origins and its global reach, along with updates on its progression — including two patients in the United States. Additionally, we reported on what the public should know about coronaviruses and how to take prevention precautions.
CNN reported WHO’s China representative Gauden Galea as saying, “Even if (cases) are in the thousands, this would not surprise us.” Additionally, Galea said the number of infected is not an indicator of the outbreak’s severity, so long as the death rate remains low.
2019-nCoV WHO: Sources
WHO January 23, 2020
CNN January 23, 2020
AP January 23, 2020
CDC Media Alert
Time
The Telegraph YouTube