CDC Confirms First Case Of Coronavirus In United States, Airport Health Screenings Continue
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A United States resident traveling from China has been hospitalized in Seattle after being diagnosed with coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Tuesday.
At least six people in China have died from the virus and nearly 300 have been infected worldwide.
The virus, which doctors said can be spread from person to person, causes a pneumonia-like illness.
The outbreak comes as millions of people travel for the Lunar New Year.
The federal government has started screening passengers — at Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City — who arrive from Wuhan, China, where the virus was believed to have originated.
The CDC said it would be adding screening centers at two more airports this week — Atlanta and Chicago.
The travel health notice level has been raised from Level 1 to Level 2, though officials said the risk to the American public is low.