The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is preparing for a forthcoming outbreak of COVID-19 in the mainland United States, characterizing this possibility of a calamitous "community spread" of the disease as "likely."
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, on Friday also said the U.S. is preparing for COVID-19 evolving into a global pandemic affecting more countries outside of the 32 countries and territories currently affected by the disease.
"We're not seeing community spread here in the United States, yet, but it's very possible, even likely, that it may eventually happen," she said. "Our goal continues to be slowing the introduction of the virus into the U.S. This buys us more time to prepare communities for more cases and possibly sustained spread."
She said CDC is cooperating closely with state and local health departments "to ready our public health workforce to respond to local cases." Measures being implemented include collaboration with supply chain partners such as drug firms, hospitals, and pharmacies to determine what medical supplies are needed in the event a community-based outbreak occurs.
Messonnier said the "day may come" here where we have to shut down schools and businesses like what China has done. CDC reported at least 34 people in the U.S. are infected with COVID-19. Of those, 13 were persons of different nationalities that fell ill after returning from a trip to China. On the other hand, 21 of these patients are Americans that were passengers aboard the cruise ship, Diamond Princess, hastily repatriated by the Department of State starting February 16 in a widely criticized evacuation. The CDC did not authorize the repatriation of these Americans.
Messonnier said more infections are expected from the Diamond Princess passengers now quarantined in California. She said these people "are considered at high risk for infection" because they might have come in contact with infected persons on the ship. More than 600 passengers and crew aboard this ship in dock at Yokohama harbor in Japan have come down with Covid-19.
The only widespread community or mass infections so far have been recorded in China where the COVID-19 outbreak began in December 2019. These infections are centered in the province of Hubei and its capital, Wuhan, where most of the outbreak's victims and deaths are located.
Cluster or limited outbreaks of COVID-19 are confirmed in both Singapore and South Korea. In both these countries, the outbreak is centered on infected members of two Christian churches that spread the disease to the wider community.
The global casualty count as of 9:25 a.m., Saturday, Hong Kong time, stood at 77,767 cases and 2,360 deaths. Of the new toll, 76,288 cases are in China, as well as 2,345 deaths.
As of Saturday morning (Hong Kong time), there are now 15 deaths worldwide. Italy reported its first death Friday while two new deaths were confirmed in Iran and one in Japan, also on Friday. South Korea's first death was confirmed Thursday, there were two deaths in Japan on Thursday and two deaths in Iran Wednesday. In addition, there was a second death in Hong Kong Wednesday.
The most startling news is out of Italy that confirmed its first death Friday (local time), as well as 17 confirmed cases. The Ministry of Health (Ministero della Salute) revealed the death from the coronavirus of a 78-year-old from the small town of Vo' Euganeo in the northern city of Padua. Health Minister Roberto Speranza earlier said there were 15 cases of COVID-19 in the northern region of Lombardy and two in neighboring Veneto where Padua is located.
These 17 cases are the first known cases of local transmission in the country. None of those infected were believed to have traveled to China.
