Coronavirus in the US: Map, case counts and news
(Image: © Jef Castro/Future)
A novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 has spread to all continents except Antarctica, with the first U.S. case involving a 35-year-old man who had traveled to Wuhan, China, before returning to Washington State. He was confirmed to have the virus on Jan. 20, 2020. Since then, the virus (which causes the disease COVID-19) has spread to several states, with new cases emerging every day.
About 564 people in the U.S. have been confirmed to have the virus. Of those, 22 people have died, with deaths in Washington (18), California (1) and Florida (2). (Globally, more than 111,000 cases have been confirmed, with 3,892 deaths.)
U.S. health officials announced they would send out test kits for as many as 400,000 people by the end of this week, with additional tests being sent out in the coming weeks, Reuters reported Thursday (March 5).
However, on Saturday (March 7), Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, FDA Commissioner, said that 1,583 people in the U.S. have been tested for COVID-19 through the CDC tests.
Though President Donald Trump said Saturday (March 7) that "anyone who wants a test can get a test," Alex M. Azar II, secretary of the Health and Human Services, clarified that a doctor or other medical professional must first approve the testing, The New York Times reported.
CORONAVIRUS BASICS
Washington
There are now about 128 cases in the state, mostly in King and Snohomish counties, outside of Seattle. Most of the cases have occurred at a long-care health facility called Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington. Experts are not sure how the virus made its way into the center, which holds 190 beds, according to The New York Times.
In King County, 18 people have died from the virus, with another death from COVID-19 in Snohomish County.
Cases by county:
The state's health department has set up a hotline, which you can call to get your coronavirus questions answered: 1-800-525-0127.
US CORONAVIRUS CASES
California
There are now 124 confirmed COVID-19 cases in California, including 22 passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship off the state’s coast. About 10,250 Californians are under self-quarantine, according to the SF Chronicle, meaning they think there’s a chance they were exposed to this novel coronavirus, so they’ve separated themselves from others in case they start showing symptoms. (Here are some tips for self-quarantine and self-isolation related to the coronavirus.)
On March 4, California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in order to make additional resources available for combatting the virus. IN addition, that declaration will “formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for broader spread of COVID-19,” the governor’s office said in a statement.
Currently, there are 3,500 people onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship waiting to dock off Oakland on Monday (March 9). The passengers and crew have been stuck on the ship for days after individuals onboard tested positive for COVID-19. So far, 22 individuals on the ship have tested positive. A 71-year-old man onboard the ship became the state’s first reported death related to the coronavirus. He was a resident of Placer County, east of San Francisco, and reportedly had underlying health conditions.
County breakdown:
New York
New York state is reporting 105 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 12 of those in New York City. Here’s a breakdown of cases by county:
The first Manhattan case involves a woman who had recently traveled to Iran and is now isolated in her home as of March 1. The second case in the state was reported on March 3 in a man who lives in New Rochelle, New York, in Westchester County and works in Manhattan. On Wednesday (March 4), Gov. Cuomo confirmed there were nine additional cases of people connected to the man, including his 20-year-old son, 14-year-old daughter and a neighbor who drove the man to the hospital, the Times reported. In addition, a friend of the infected man, along with the friend's wife and three of their kids, according to the Times.
New York hotline for coronavirus: 1-888-364-3065
Nebraska
Nebraska is currently reporting 16 cases of COVID-19, according to The New York Times. Eight people are being treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center National Quarantine Unit. Several of those patients were passengers onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
The first confirmed case found through community surveillance is a 36-year-old Omaha woman who is in critical condition at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The woman went on a trip to London in mid-February with her father and began feeling ill on Feb. 24. Two of her family members have tested positive as well, according to the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
Public health officials are now tracking down hundreds of people who may have had contact with the woman at a Special Olympics basketball event and a veterans supper, as well as health care workers who treated her before she tested positive, according to the Lincoln Journal Star.
Oregon
As of March 8, 14 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Oregon, according to the Oregon Health authority. There are two cases in Jackson County, two in Klamath County, two in Umatilla County, eight in Washington County, one in Douglas County and one in Marion County. The state has so far tested 167 people; 100 people tested negative and 53 test results are still pending, according to the Oregonian.
On March 9, Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency, which frees up resources to be used to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Oregon residents who would like more information on COVID-19 can call 211.
Florida
Florida is reporting 18 cases of COVID-19, including 2 deaths, according to Florida Health. Of those cases, five were people who were repatriated. An additional 140 tests were negative, while 111 rest results are pending. Three-hundred-and-two people are currently being monitored for COVID-19.
The two deaths occurred in men in their 70s who had traveled abroad, possibly to Israel or Egypt, according to the Miami Herald. One of those men had underlying health conditions. One of the men who died only tested positive posthumously.
Florida has set up a hotline for coronavirus information: 1-866-779-6121. People can also email COVID-19@flhealth.gov with questions.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts has 28 confirmed and “presumptive” positive cases of COVID-19 as of March 9, according to the state’s Department of Public Health. The first case in the state was reported in a University of Massachusetts Boston student on Feb. 21, according to NBC Boston. The man, in his 20s, had returned to Boston after visiting Wuhan, China, where the outbreak began at the end of December 2019.
As of March 3, about 719 residents of the state had been asked to quarantine themselves, meaning they had possible exposure to the virus or someone with the virus, according to the Department of Health. On Monday (March 9), several school districts announced closures to stem coronavirus spread, the Boston Globe reported.
Texas
There are 24 cases being reported in Texas, according to the Texas Tribune. Of those, 11 occurred in Houston-area residents who reportedly caught the virus while traveling in Egypt. Another 11 cases involved individuals who were exposed to the virus while overseas; these individuals were being quarantined at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Those individuals who did test positive or seemed likely to have COVID-19 were then transferred to the Texas Center for Infectious Disease or local hospitals for medical attention, the Tribune reported.
What appears to be the first locally transmitted case was reported Monday (March 9) in a person in Collin County, which is about 45 miles to the north of Dallas.
On Sunday (March 8), Texas officials announced that about 100 passengers onboard the Grand Princess cruise ship off California would be sent for quarantine at the Lackland Air Force Base, the Tribune reported.
For the first time since 1987, the annual event South by Southwest (SXSW) was canceled due to coronavirus fears. The event takes place in March in Austin, Texas, where tens of thousands of people gather to take part in the music and film festival.
Diagnostic tests in US
After botching its initial attempt at a COVID-19 diagnostic test, and taking weeks to develop a replacement, the U.S. government has enlisted the help of private companies and academic institutions to expand the nation's testing capacity, The New York Times reported. According to "the estimates we're getting from industry right now, by the end of this week, close to a million tests will be able to be performed," FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a press briefing on March 2.
The week prior, the FDA enabled state and local laboratories to develop and validate their own diagnostic tests and conduct initial testing on their own, rather than sending samples to the CDC's laboratory in Atlanta, according to the Times.
The CDC tests use a PCR-based protocol, meaning they pinpoint bits of viral DNA in swabbed samples from a patient’s nose and throat, according to The Scientist. Many of the other tests in development follow the same approach, but some labs aim to use the gene-editing technique CRISPR to highlight the target genes with fluorescent tags, The Scientist reported. Other groups are working to isolate antibodies from infected people in order to develop blood tests for the virus.
Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, FDA Commissioner, said that 1,583 people in the U.S. have been tested for COVID-19 through the CDC tests. Speaking on March 7, Hahn detailed how testing was unfolding in the U.S., including the number of tests being sent out to U.S. labs:
Hahn also clarified how test number equated to number of patients: "With current estimates (and this could change), 2.1 million tests would roughly translate to 850,000 Americans being able to undergo testing," he said.
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Originally published on Live Science.
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