Trump increases controls after first death from coronavirus in the US

[Blexfraptor]

With a case in Silicon Valley, another in a small town in California, another in Oregon and another in Seattle, the worst scenario of infection of the coronavirus in the United States began to take shape in the last three days. These are cases of "unknown origin", that is, it is for the moment impossible to trace how these patients have been infected. For the United States, since this week the Wuhan coronavirus is no longer a virus imported from China, it is no longer worth keeping an eye on airports and canceling flights. The virus is spreading locally along the West Coast of the country.

The feeling that control of the situation is being lost was reinforced on Saturday morning when the first deceased by the coronavirus in the country was confirmed. It was a woman, with delicate health and over 50 years, who died in the Seattle area. The Washington State health authorities planned to give the details of the case at a local press conference at noon.

Cases of unknown origin are still "suspected", while local, state and federal health authorities try to investigate the lives of these people to find the source of the infection and to stop the transmission. There are 1,500 kilometers between the Silicon Valley patient and the Seattle patient. The diagnoses were issued after testing with equipment provided by the federal disease control authority, CDC, although definitive confirmation is lacking.

The first death by coronavirus in the United States caused the appearance of the president in the White House along with those responsible for the response to the crisis. Trump announced new travel restrictions affecting Iran, South Korea and Italy. The current veto for travelers from Iran will be extended to any foreign citizen who has passed through that country in the last 14 days. The Government has also raised the alert level, thereby reinforcing controls and calling on Americans to avoid the areas of Italy and South Korea most affected by this crisis.
The US president addressed the press on Saturday from the White House in a tone much more serious than that of the first appearance following this outbreak, when he raised many criticisms of the opposition for removing iron from the risks, although he insisted that "There is no reason to panic." "It is being managed in a very professional way," he said, after stressing that the United States was suffering much less cases than other countries with much less po[CENSORED]tion and foreign entry. This containment is due, as defended by Vice President Mike Pence, to early restrictions on travelers from China.

 

Trump admitted that "new cases are likely to arise," but reiterated that those in good health will have no problem overcoming the disease. He also announced that this Monday he will receive in the White House managers of pharmaceutical companies to address the response to this crisis. "The country is prepared to respond to any circumstances, we expect them to be minor circumstances, but we are prepared for anything," he insisted.

"What we know is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we don't know how much," said Dr. Sara Cody, head of public health services for Santa Clara County (Silicon Valley). The case detected on Friday is the third in that county and the tenth in California. But so far they were all from people who had traveled to China or had contact with someone who had traveled to risk areas. "This case tells us that we have to change the way we respond" to the spread of the virus.

Dr. Cody drew a scenario in which schools will have to get used to missing students and workers will have to do the tasks they can from home. "I understand that this situation may seem overwhelming and it is difficult to think about the ways in which this can alter our daily lives, especially because we don't know yet how it will be."

Until last day 26, the CDC had confirmed a total of 61 cases in the United States. Of these, 46 are people repatriated from contagion areas, mainly from Wuhan, in China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where an outbreak emerged when it was off the coast of Japan. The other 15 cases are infections diagnosed within the United States: 12 people who had traveled to China and 2 spouses of people who had traveled to China. The figure includes the first confirmed case in California of unknown origin. The other three are pending official confirmation.

First case
That first case was a woman admitted on February 19 at the hospital in Vacaville, a town north of Sacramento. The woman was taken to the university hospital in the capital of California, when her symptoms worsened. The county authorities did not request a proof of Covid-19 from the CDC until day 23. According to the federal agency, they received the samples on the 25th and confirmed the diagnosis on the 26th. All personnel who have been in contact with the patient are in observation. The second case was an older lady with previous illnesses living in Santa Clara.

In California there are 8,400 people under observation for possible spread of the virus, the governor Gavin Newsom said Thursday. "We knew this was inevitable," he said of the situation. The governor said the state is not sufficiently equipped to diagnose all cases because it only has 200 diagnostic equipment prepared by the CDC specifically to detect the new coronavirus, and said the federal institution will send sooner. "People's restlessness is understandable and we are not reacting more or less," said Newsom.

The CDC has sent teams to California to investigate in depth all the contacts of the new patients. In addition, on Saturday he announced that he will allow private laboratories to develop their own diagnostic tests for coronavirus. Around 80 private companies had requested permission to market tests that are already created.

The patient infected by an unknown source in Washington State is a high school student north of Seattle. He went to the doctor with the usual symptoms of fever and muscle aches. According to health authorities, he returned to class when he began to feel better, before it was found that he was infected with the new coronavirus.