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 "We expect to see more cases of person-to-person spread," Dr. Nancy
Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization
and Respiratory Diseases, said during a conference call that
included confirmation of a handful of new cases, bringing the U.S.
total to 11.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is making
nearly $250 million in emergency funds available to cover the cost
of the response, an agency spokesman said on Monday.
Some of that may be used to support screening and monitoring
returning U.S. citizens from China who are exempt from the
presidential proclamation issued on Friday suspending entry of
foreign nationals who had visited China within the past 14 days.
The CDC outlined enhanced screening plans for family members of U.S.
citizens and legal permanent residents returning from China, who may
face a 14-day quarantine if they had been in Wuhan or the Hubei
province of China, the epicenter of the epidemic.
Passengers arriving in the United States on commercial airlines will
be directed to one of 11 U.S. airports for additional health
assessments. If they show virus symptoms such as fever, U.S.
citizens and those who are exempt will be transferred for medical
evaluation, and will not be allowed to complete their travel plans.
"CDC is working with the states to determine where travelers will be
quarantined," Messonnier said.
Flights with U.S. government employees being evacuated by the State
department will go to military bases. They will be under federal
quarantine for 14 days from when they left Wuhan.
The CDC has sent additional teams to specific locations where the
planes will arrive.
Those who do not have symptoms will be allowed to continue to their
final destination, and will be asked to stay at home as much as
possible and monitor their health for 14 days.
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Where people will be quarantined may differ depending on the
operational plans laid out by states. Some of the designated
airports have military bases nearby, while some states have planned
to use hotels.
"It is very localized depending on the state and local
considerations," Messonnier said. "We do not believe these people
pose a risk to the communities where they are being temporarily
housed. We are taking measures to minimize any exposure."
HHS on Sunday notified Congress it may need to transfer $136 million
to support efforts by the CDC, the Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response and the Office of Global Affairs to
respond to the outbreak, the agency confirmed on Monday.
That followed a Jan. 25 notice to Congress that the CDC would tap as
much as $105 million from a rapid response reserve fund to cover the
costs for enhanced screening, transportation, and monitoring of U.S.
citizens arriving from China.
Of the five new U.S. cases announced on Monday, one is in
Massachusetts and the other four in California. Four of the five had
recently traveled to Wuhan, where the outbreak originated.
One of the patients in California was infected through close contact
with someone in the same household who had been infected in China.
It marked the second instance of person-to-person spread of the
virus in the United States after such a case was announced last week
in Illinois.
The agency said it is currently monitoring 82 people for potential
infection with the virus.
(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; additional reporting by
Manas Mishra in Bangaluru; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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