With multiple confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the United States, including two in California, the city of San Francisco has activated its emergency operations center in preparation for a potential outbreak.
While there have been no reported cases of the virus in the city, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital is “on standby, with isolation rooms prepared for coronavirus patients if needed,” Fox News-affiliate KTVU reported Monday.
“It’s important to recognize that there are no known cases in San Francisco at this time,” said San Francisco Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón, KTVU reports. “We are actively preparing for the possibility of confirmed cases.”
“We will be broadcasting in partnership with the Department of Public Health public health information about how to prevent the spread of the virus, and what to do to stay healthy during flu season,” said San Francisco Department of Emergency Management’s Mary Ellen Carrol.
“We won’t be able to tell just by the symptoms,” Dr. Aragón explained. “That’s why the history of where that person has been is the most important factor.”
As the symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to the common flu, officials are carefully monitoring those flying into the states from the regions in China impacted by the virus, namely Wuhan, outbound traffic from which has now been canceled, San Francisco International Airport announced.
WTVU notes that a flight planned by the State Department containing personnel who worked in Wuhan is scheduled to arrive Tuesday in Ontario via Anchorage. “San Francisco authorities say they are in communication with state health officials and the Centers for Disease Control to monitor developments in the progression of coronavirus,” WTVU reports.
San Francisco’s preparatory measures were announced after additional coronavirus cases were reported in the States over the weekend, totaling five cases in four states, including two in California (one in Orange County and another in Los Angeles County), one in Arizona (Maricopa County), one in Washington state, and another in Chicago, Illinois.
As reported by The Associated Press, China reported Tuesday that 25 more people have died from the coronavirus, totaling at least 106 deaths so far.
“China on Tuesday reported 25 more deaths from a new viral disease, raising the total to at least 106, as the U.S. government prepared to fly Americans out of the city at the center of the outbreak,” The Associated Press reported. “There were 1,771 new cases confirmed on Monday, raising the national total to 4,515, according to the National Health Commission. It said 976 were in serious condition.”
The Chinese government has responded to the outbreak by imposing a massive, “unprecedented” quarantine, encompassing some 56 million people.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a level 3 travel warning Monday to “avoid nonessential travel” to the affected area.
“CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China,” the CDC said in a statement. “In response to an outbreak of respiratory illness, Chinese officials have closed transport within and out of Wuhan and other cities in Hubei province, including buses, subways, trains, and the international airport. Additional restrictions and cancellations of events may occur. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas.”
CDC recommends travelers avoid all nonessential travel to #China due to the ongoing #2019nCoV (#coronavirus) outbreak. The outbreak is growing and there is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas. https://t.co/Km38IKxIAs pic.twitter.com/NHboTImlyr
— CDC Travel Health (@CDCtravel) January 27, 2020
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