1st U.S. case of deadly new coronavirus found in Wash. state, CDC says
by KOMO News Staff
Tuesday, January 21st 2020
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Providence-Everett Hospital in Everett, Wash., where a patient is recovering from a new coronavirus. (KOMO Photo)<p>{/p}
EVERETT, Wash. -- A dangerous new virus that has sickened hundreds and killed six victims in China has now spread to Washington state, say officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is the first case of the "novel coronavirus" detected in the United States.
The victim, a Snohomish County man in his 30s, recently traveled to China. He is now in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, where he is reported to be in "good" condition, said Dr. Chris Spitters of the Snohomish County Health District.
It is unclear if the man has transmitted the virus to anyone else in the United States.
CDC officials said the deadly virus was first detected last month in people who went to a public market in Wuhan, China. The Snohomish County victim traveled to the Wuhan area recently but did not visit the market where the disease originated, nor did he have contact with anyone known to have the virus.
The victim flew back to the U.S., arriving at Sea-Tac Airport last Wednesday. He contacted health officials a few days later when he started feeling ill, and his case was diagnosed by the CDC on Monday, said state epidemiologist Dr. Scott Lindquist.
"We're thankful that the man who tested positive got treatment so quickly," said state Secretary of Health John Wiesman.
1st U.S. case of deadly new coronavirus found in Wash. state, CDC says
KOMO News Update: 1st U.S. case of deadly new coronavirus found in Wash. state, CDC says
CDC officials have activated the agency's national emergency center in response to the discovery of the potentially deadly virus in the U.S. The risk to the general public is considered "low,'" but CDC officials say they expect to find more cases in the U.S. Older adults with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
In addition, passengers from Wuhan, China, are being screened at J.F.K. Airport In New York, as well as at airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Chicago's O'Hare Airport. What's more, officials will begin forcing all passengers that originate in Wuhan to go to one of those five airports if they wish to enter the U.S.
Authorities also are trying to determine who the Snohomish County man may have come into contact with during his travels back to the U.S.
Health authorities say the newly discovered virus can be transmitted from human to human, but it is not clear how readily that transmission takes place.
Providence Everett Aerials
Providence Everett Hospital in Everett, Wash. (KOMO Video/Air 4)
Six people have died from the virus and about 260 have been infected in China, the National Health Commission said Tuesday. About 30 other cases have been detected in four other Asian countries.
Health authorities this month identified the germ behind the outbreak as a new type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses, some of which cause the common cold; others found in bats, camels and other animals have evolved into more severe illnesses.
SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, belongs to the coronavirus family, but Chinese state media say the illness in Wuhan is different from coronaviruses that have been identified in the past. Earlier laboratory tests ruled out SARS and MERS — Middle East respiratory syndrome — as well as influenza, bird flu, adenovirus and other common lung-infecting germs.
The new virus so far does not appear to be as deadly as SARS and MERS, but viruses can sometimes mutate to become more dangerous.
University of Washington coronavirus researcher David Veesler said the public “should not be panicking right now.”
The response has been “very efficient,” Veesler said. “In a couple of weeks, China was able to identify the virus, isolate it, sequence it and share that information.”
Veesler added: “We don’t have enough data to judge how severe the disease is.”
1st U.S. case of deadly new coronavirus found in Wash. state, report says