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Coronavirus Update: First Infected Person In U.S. Dies, Latest NYC Test Comes Back Negative As City Gets Cleared To Start Local Testing
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 29, 2020
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Andrew Harnik/AP/Shutterstock
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 29, 2020
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A Washington state man who was in his 50s has died from the coronavirus, marking the first U.S. casualty from the globally spreading disease.
He was not known to have traveled recently or been in contact with someone known to have the virus, a sign of potential community spread.
The Trump administration on Saturday announced that the U.S. would elevate its travel warning to advise against travel to specific regions in Italy and South Korea affected by the virus, and expand its travel restrictions on Iran by banning foreign nationals who have recently visited that country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended against nonessential travel to China and South Korea. On Friday, the agency added Italy to that list.
Meanwhile, a test for a New York City resident who had traveled to Italy was negative, according to the city's Health Department. To date, there have been no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the city.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Saturday that the CDC had sent new test kits to the city, which means that testing can soon be performed locally. Previous CDC test kits had contained a flaw that prevented city health officials from using them. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration has also cleared the city to develop its own test.
"This means we will soon, within the coming week, have the ability to get results back in a matter of hours, not days," the mayor tweeted. "Quick detection is vital to stopping the spread of the virus, and this development will help the experts do their job to protect New Yorkers."
News of the new test kits came as some worried New Yorkers have begun complaining about their inability to receive the test.
During a press conference at the White House on Saturday, President Trump continued to downplay the threat of the contagion.
"If you’re healthy, you will probably go through a process and you will be fine," he said.
He described the victim as "a medically high risk patient," however mistakenly referred to him as a woman.
The president accused the media and elected officials of trying to incite a panic over the epidemic, which many experts say has reached a pandemic.
"I really would wish that we could report exactly what’s happened. How well we are doing under adverse circumstances," Trump said.
Trump was flanked by federal health officials at the press conference, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Fauci denied reports that he had been "muzzled" by the administration, saying that he had been scheduled to appear on some television shows but that Pence, who is now in charge of the task force, had asked the team to "regroup" and figure out their communication strategy. He said he resubmitted his requests for media clearance and was not denied.
He also said there was "no indication" anyone could get coronavirus twice, despite a report that a woman in Japan allegedly tested positive for a second time.
The president, who is known to be worried about the stock market, made a point of addressing the economy. Specifically, he said that Apple's factories in China were back to full operation, an assertion that contradicted what the company has actually said.
Bracing for a pandemic, U.S. stocks posted their biggest weekly decline since the financial crisis.
During a CDC phone press briefing on Saturday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, provided an update on the situation with officials from Washington state. In one concerning development, two infections have occurred at a long-term care facility in Kirkland, Washington. State and CDC health officials are monitoring the facility, which has roughly 108 residents and 180 staff members. Of those, 27 residents and 25 staff members now have symptoms.
"We are facing a historic public health challenge," said Messonnier, who has been the target of right-wing attacks for raising concern about the spread of the coronavirus in the U.S.
"We continue to prepare for this virus to become more widespread," she said.
Federal health officials have said the immediate risk is low, and Messonnier similarly stressed that there was currently no "national spread" of disease.
"The CDC and the federal government are working to keep it that way," she said.
Tagged
testing
coronavirus
covid-19 updates
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bill de blasio
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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