Health officials in the State of California have confirmed three more cases of coronavirus, which brings the state to a total of six, and a total of 11 across the U.S.
Late Sunday, a San Benito County official said a man who had recently traveled back from Wuhan, China, and his wife were confirmed to have the virus and isolating themselves in their home, CNN reported.
The man arrived at San Francisco International Airport on January 24 and was screened and found to be healthy and asymptomatic, Dr. Martin Fenstersheib, interim health officer for the county, said in a news conference.
The next day, the man developed symptoms including a cough and low-grade fever, Fenstersheib said. A few days later, his wife began showing symptoms as well.
“As far as I’m concerned there is, at the present time, absolutely no risk to the community in San Benito from coronavirus from these confirmed cases,” said Fenstersheib.
The couple has stayed at home since the man’s arrival, Fenstersheib said.
Also Sunday, officials confirmed a woman who recently traveled from Wuhan to Santa Clara County also was found to have the virus. She’s the second case in the county — though officials said the cases are unrelated. There are two other confirmed cases in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern earlier this week. A number of countries — including the US — began evacuating their nationals on flights from Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province in China where the virus was first detected.
The US also issued a level 4 travel advisory warning residents not to travel to China, adding that most commercial air carriers have reduced or suspended flights to and from the country.
On Monday, a spokeswoman for China’s Foreign Ministry accused the US government of responding inappropriately to the outbreak and feeding mass hysteria.
“Most countries appreciate and support China’s efforts to fight against the novel coronavirus, and we understand and respect them when they adopt or enhance quarantine measures at border entry. But in the meantime, some countries, the US in particular, have inappropriately overreacted, which certainly runs counter to WHO advice,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
So far, at least 360 people have died and more than 17,000 have been infected in China while there’s been more than 170 confirmed cases across more than 20 countries.
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