US confirms first Coronavirus case

WASHINGTON: The US has announced its first outbreak of a new Coronavirus that has taken six lives in China and sickened hundreds of people, joining countries around the world in stepping up efforts to prevent its spread.

According to federal and state officials, the man, a US citizen in his 30s who lives near Seattle, is in good condition and contacted officials himself after reading the news stories about the SARS-like disease.

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Chris Spitters, a Washington state health official said, the concerned patient is currently admitted in the hospital out of an abundance of prevention, and for short-term observation, not because serious illness has occurred.”

“This is an emerging problem and again we are expecting more cases in the U.S. and internationally,” said Nancy Messonier, a senior official at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adding that the overall risk to Americans remains low.

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The person is previously from Wuhan and returned to the US on January 15, two days before health officials started monitoring passengers at major airports arriving from the central Chinese city which is at the heart of the epidemic. The efforts are now to be extended to a maximum of five airports across the US.