Coronavirus 2020 Outbreak: Latest Updates
News about the coronavirus outbreak that started in Wuhan, China, is changing rapidly. The respiratory infection, named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO), is closely related to SARS and MERS. While the majority of cases are in China, the disease has been diagnosed in dozens of other countries, including the United States. We'll provide the latest updates on cases, deaths, travel restrictions, and more here.
What is the latest news?
The number of cases of COVID-19 has surpassed 114,000 worldwide -- including more than 750 in the U.S. -- as the new coronavirus proves difficult for state and countries to stop. The virus has now been diagnosed in about two-thirds of the states and in Washington, D.C., and in 100 countries worldwide. It accounts for 26 deaths in the U.S.-- 22 in Washington state and two each in California and Florida.
While the total number of cases surpassed 750, that might just be a fraction of actual U.S. cases, researchers at Cedars-Sinai say in a study. The California-based academic healthcare organization says more than 9,000 people in the U.S. may have been infected as of March 1.
"This suggests that the opportunity window to contain the epidemic of COVID-19 in its early stage is closing," the researchers say in their paper.
Cedars-Sinai says its investigators purposely chose “very conservative” methods of estimating the number of cases, which means “our current estimation is likely to be an underestimation of the true number of infected individuals in the U.S., they say.
Ohio officials reported their first three cases, all of which are in or around Cleveland in Cuyahoga County. As a result, Gov. Mike Dewine declared a state of emergency.
In the U.S., the number of deaths increased to 26. Three new deaths are in residents of the Life Care Center skilled nursing facility in King County, Washington. Nineteen deaths are linked to the center.
At a press briefing Monday, the CDC’s Nancy Messonnier said people who are at higher risk of getting a severe case of the disease should take steps to prepare. That includes people over 60 years old and those with underlying conditions.
