New York confirms first case of coronavirus
New York on Sunday confirmed the state's first positive test of the new virus that has sickened tens of thousands of people across the globe. A woman in her late 30s contracted the virus while traveling in Iran, according to a statement from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office. She is currently self-quarantined in her Manhattan home, a state official said. The patient is not in a serious condition. She has respiratory symptoms and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York, according to the statement.
“The positive test was confirmed by New York’s Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday,” Cuomo said in the statement. “There is no reason for undue anxiety — the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”
City and state health officials have previously tested several New York patients who have reported symptoms consistent with the virus, but until now each suspected case had proven to be a false alarm.
More than 80,000 cases of COVID-19, an illness characterized by fever and coughing and in serious cases shortness of breath or pneumonia, have occurred worldwide since the virus emerged in China. About 3,000 people have died.
Under new travel rules imposed by the U.S., most people who aren’t U.S. citizens and who traveled to China within the last 14 days will be denied entry to the country.
New York’s Kennedy Airport is one of a select number of U.S. airports where non-stop flights from mainland China are permitted to land under federal emergency guidelines. All arriving passengers on those flights undergo enhanced health screening.
France closes the Louvre as virus spreads to new fronts
Coronavirus cases surged in Italy, and France closed the world-famous Louvre Museum as the epidemic that began in China sent fear rising across Western Europe, threatening its tourism industry.
The virus has spread to more than 60 countries, and more than 3,000 people have died from the COVID-19 illness it causes.
New battlefronts in the battle opened rapidly, deepening the sense of crisis that has already sent financial markets plummeting, emptied the streets in many cities and rewritten the routines of millions of people. More than 88,000 have been infected, on every continent but Antarctica.
Australia and Thailand reported their first deaths Sunday, while the Dominican Republic and the Czech Republic recorded their first infections.
Italian authorities said the number of people infected in the country soared 50% to 1,694 in just 24 hours, and five more had died, bringing the death toll there to 34. Cases in France jumped to 130, an increase of 30 in one day.
China, where the epidemic began in December, reported 202 new cases in its update Monday, the lowest increase since Jan. 21. The city of Wuhan had most of the new cases but also saw 2,570 patients released, continuing a trend that frees up patient beds in the prefabricated isolation wards and hastily built hospitals in the area where the disease has hit hardest.
That brings China’s totals to 80,026 cases, with 2,912 deaths, the vast majority in Wuhan and surrounding Hubei province, which still accounts for about three-quarters of the world’s cases.
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