LOS ANGELES, Calif. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Officials in Los Angeles County have confirmed the fourth U.S. case of the deadly Coronavirus, and a fifth case has been diagnosed in a patient in Arizona.
There are now two cases in California; one in Orange County and one in Los Angeles County. There is also one case near Seattle, and another patient diagnosed in Chicago. All five patients had recently traveled to China, which seems to be the epicenter of the virus.
There is also one suspected case at Texas A&M University, and a student from Wesleyan University in Connecticut is being monitored for possibly contracting the virus as well.
Both of the patients in California have been isolated in undisclosed hospitals, and local officials say there is no evidence of any person-to-person transmission.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY spoke about the growing outbreak at a Sunday news conference. "If we have learned anything from the risks the new viruses pose to public health, it is 'a stitch in time saves nine," Schumer said. "The more we can do to be proactive, the better off the public will be."
The Senate Minority leader is asking the Trump Administration to declare a formal public health emergency in order to free up funds for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to tackle the virus before the Coronavirus becomes a pandemic in the U.S.
"If we are going to make sure [the CDC] can sustain this pace and remain at-the-ready should the outbreak get worse, they will need immediate access to critical federal funds that at the present time they remain unable to access," Schumer said. "That is why today, I am urging HHS to follow the CDC's proactive lead; declare a formal public health emergency for the Coronavirus."
Canada's Public Health Agency also confirmed that it is dealing with its first case of Coronavirus in the Province of Ontario. That patient also recently returned from Wuhan, China.
At least 56 people have died from the virus in Wuhan, China, while some 2,029 others have been diagnosed since December.
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