#14,736
The CDC held a hastily called news conference this afternoon (3pm EST) to announce a 4th and 5th imported case; one in Los Angeles County and another in Maricopa County, AZ (Phoenix). Details are still coming in, and I expect an audio file of the news conference (which I missed) to be posted on the CDC in the next couple of hours.
We usually also get a follow up press release from the CDC following these pressers, but this being a Sunday, may take a while. I'll post one when I get it.
In the meantime, the CDC's Risk Assessment continues to read:
Risk Assessment
Outbreaks of novel virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including whether and how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment medications).
Investigations are ongoing to learn more, but person-to-person spread of 2019-nCoV is occurring. Chinese officials report that sustained person-to-person spread in the community is occurring in China. Person-to-person spread in the United States has not yet been detected, but it’s likely to occur to some extent. It’s important to note that person-to-person spread can happen on a continuum. Some viruses are highly contagious (like measles), while other viruses are less so. It’s important to know this in order to better assess the risk posed by this virus.
While CDC considers this is a very serious public health threat, based on current information, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time. Nevertheless, CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.While 3 cases reported in the United States in just over 12 hours is disconcerting, this is likely to be the `new normal' in the days and weeks ahead.
