7th and 8th U.S. coronavirus cases confirmed in Massachusetts and California
Heath officials say two more people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus in California and Massachusetts, marking the 7th and 8th cases in the United States. On Saturday, a spokesperson from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed both new cases to Yahoo Lifestyle.
The novel coronavirus that spread from Wuhan, China has been causing panic — the latest strain, which until now has not been identified in humans, was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) this week. The virus can cause symptoms like coughing and fever or escalate into life-threatening conditions such as pneumonia.
On Saturday, Massachusetts government officials posted a press release announcing the first confirmed case in the state. The man, who lives in Boston and is in his 20s, had returned from Wuhan and received medical care in the United States. He is currently being held in isolation. According to the press release, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notified the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) of the test results on Friday night.
“We are grateful that this young man is recovering and sought medical attention immediately,’’ Massachusetts public health commissioner Monica Bharel, MD. MPH, said in the press release, also sent to Yahoo Lifestyle by a representative of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. “Massachusetts has been preparing for a possible case of this new coronavirus, and we were fortunate that astute clinicians took appropriate action quickly. Again, the risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts.”
BPHC executive director Rita Nieves added, “Our priority is not only to protect and inform the residents of Boston but also to help this man continue to recover. We are pleased that he is doing well. Right now, we are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently. The risk to the general public remains low. And we continue to be confident we are in a good position to respond to this developing situation.”
On Friday, the CDC announced that the novel coronavirus was also confirmed in California. The person had also recently returned from Wuhan, China.
Also on the same day, the White House declared that U.S. citizens who visited the Chinese mainland within the last 14 days will be quarantined and that U.S. foreign nationals who pose a risk of spreading the virus will not be allowed to enter the country on a temporary basis, with the exception of family members of citizens or permanent residents.
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