CDC Confirms First Wuhan Coronavirus Case in the U.S.

On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the country’s first case of the Wuhan coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The virus, which is said to have originated in Wuhan, China and is related to the same family as Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the common cold, has infected over 400 people, CNN reports. Nine have died.

The outbreak of the virus was first reported in December and has also struck Thailand, South Korea, and Japan. The first U.S. case of the virus was contracted by a Washington state man, who’s not being named, after he traveled to China. The man got back to the U.S. on Jan. 15, passing through Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and was hospitalized on Jan. 19. He’s currently being kept in isolation at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Washington. Officials have said that the infected man, who is in his 30s, is doing well and is “healthy,” NPR reports.

Airports in the country such as JFK, SFO, ORD, LAX, and and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson have established additional security screenings for travelers that have visited infected areas.

“This is certainly not a moment for panic or high anxiety. It is a moment for vigilance,” Washington governor Jay Inslee said on Tuesday. He continued, “The risk is low to residents in Washington.”

China’s National Health Commissioner Li Bin said that the virus is spread “through the respiratory tract” and warned of the “possibility of viral mutation and further spread of the disease,” CNN reported.

A meeting of World Health Organization officials is scheduled for Wednesday to decide if the virus can be classified as a “public health emergency of international concern” and to look at what steps should be taken to combat its spread.