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 The coronavirus, which emerged in China late last year, has
decimated global markets as it quickly moves around the world. It
appeared poised for a spike in the United States, in part because of
more testing to confirm cases.
Florida late Sunday declared a public health emergency as it
confirmed its first two cases.
Trump administration officials worked Sunday to soothe nerves and
calm fears that a global recession was looming, arguing that the
public and media were over-reacting and saying that stocks would
bounce back because the American economy was fundamentally strong.
The total number of confirmed cases in the United States is more
than 75 with two reported deaths, both in Washington state. Globally
there have been more than 87,000 cases and nearly 3,000 deaths in 60
countries, according to the World Health Organization.
In the United States, a cluster of cases is centered on a nursing
home near Seattle.
The Seattle and King County public health department confirmed late
Sunday that a man in his 70s who was a resident of the LifeCare
long-term care facility in Kirkland and had coronavirus had died the
day before.
On Saturday, the department had reported the first death of a
coronavirus patient in the United States, a man in his 50s who was
living in Kirkland - the same city where the nursing home is
located. Six of the 10 confirmed coronavirus cases in Washington
state have been residents or workers at LifeCare.
State officials said an additional 27 residents of the nursing home
and 25 staff members were reporting symptoms of the virus, which can
be similar to that of the common flu.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Twitter his state's
first coronavirus case, a woman in her 30s who caught the virus
during a recent trip to Iran and was now in home quarantine.
Cuomo did not say where the woman lived, but the New York Times
reported she was in the Manhattan borough of New York City, citing
state officials.
"The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious
condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in
New York," Cuomo said.
Stock markets plunged last week, with an index of global stocks
setting its largest weekly fall since the 2008 financial crisis, and
more than $5 trillion wiped off the value of stocks worldwide.
A key energy conference in Houston that brings together oil
ministers and energy firms was canceled on Sunday with the
organizers of CERAWeek noting that border health checks were
becoming more restrictive and companies had begun barring
non-essential travel to protect workers.
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A world economy conference with Pope Francis due to take place in Italy later
this month was also canceled.
'WE'RE READY'
Trump said on Sunday that travelers to the United States from countries at high
risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and on arrival, without
specifying which countries.
Delta Air Lines Inc said on Sunday it was suspending until May flights to Milan
in northern Italy, where most of that country's coronavirus cases have been
reported. Flights will continue to Rome. American Airlines Group Inc announced a
similar move late on Saturday.
The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that
number "radically" in coming weeks, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary
Alex Azar told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday.
Vice President Mike Pence, appointed last week to run the White House's
coronavirus response, said the government had contracted 3M Co to produce an
extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the
masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell
International Inc is the other major U.S. mask producer.
He also told Fox News that clinical trials of a coronavirus vaccine would start
in six weeks but that a vaccine would likely not be available this season.
Democrats, who will challenge Trump for the presidency in the Nov. 3 election,
have criticized his administration for downplaying the crisis and not preparing
for the disease to spread in the United States.
Pence said Americans should brace for more cases but that the "vast majority" of
those who contracted the disease would recover.
"Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with
the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the
risk does remain low. We're ready," Pence told NBC's "Meet the Press."
(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Austin, Texas; David Shepardson and Andrea Shalal
in Washington; and Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Daniel
Wallis and Peter Cooney)
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