WASHINGTON, Jan 23 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The United States announced its first case of a new virus that has claimed at least 17 lives in China and sickened hundreds, joining countries around the world in ramping up measures to block its spread.
The man, a US resident in his 30s who lives near Seattle in Washington state, is in good condition, according to federal and state officials, and approached authorities himself after reading about the SARS-like virus in news reports.
He is “currently hospitalised out of an abundance of precaution, and for short term monitoring, not because there was severe illness”, said Chris Spitters, a state health official.
“This is an evolving situation and again, we do expect additional patients in the United States and globally,” added Nancy Messonier, a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She stressed that the overall risk to Americans remained low.
The man is originally from Wuhan and returned to the US on Jan 15, two days before health officials began screening passengers at major airports arriving from the central Chinese city, which is at the heart of the outbreak. The efforts are to be extended now to a total of five US airports.
The man had sought care from a medical facility, CDC said. Based on the patient’s travel history and symptoms, healthcare professionals suspected this new coronavirus.
A clinical specimen was collected and sent to CDC overnight, where laboratory testing confirmed the diagnosis.
He lives alone and will be monitored in isolation for at least 48 more hours.
“This is not a moment of high anxiety,” Washington Governor Jay Inslee told reporters at a press conference in Seattle, adding that the man was listed in satisfactory condition at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington and not known to have infected anyone else.
“This is a low risk. It appears to have a transmission vector that really should not prevent anyone from going anywhere in Snohomish County, except maybe the isolation ward at the hospital,” Inslee said.
The development came as countries intensified their efforts to stop the spread of the pathogen – known by its technical name 2019 Novel Coronavirus – as the number of cases surpassed 300, raising concerns in the middle of a major Chinese holiday travel rush.
