Trump administration announces additional travel restriction, first U.S. death confirmed

Monday, March 2, 2020

 In response to the coronavirus outbreak after the first death from the virus in the United States the Trump administration has announced additional travel restrictions which earlier affected Iran, Italy and South Korea.

According to the Vice President Pence the existing travel ban on Iran would extend to foreign nationals who had been in the country from the last 14 days.

Warnings had been issued by the State Department not to travel parts of Italy and South Korea which are affected by virus.

Health officials in Washington state confirmed  a person diagnosed with coronavirus in King County has died just before the White House’s news conference.

At the news conference Trump described the patient as a wonderful woman and a medically high risk patient who was in her late 50s.

However the local health officials clarified that the deceased was a man with underlying conditions.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention later mentioned that they mistook the patient’s gender in a briefing to Trump and Vice President Pence.

Another worrying development was reported as more  coronavirus infections were reported from South Korea to France to Qatar by the health officials in Washington state, Oregon and California.

It was announced that three new cases of the virus including the person who died and circumstances suggesting person-to-person spread in the community was found.

A health-care worker at a long-term nursing facility and a female resident in her 70s from the same center was the other patient.

Three cases of community transmission was reported, two were from the Santa Claa County and one was in the Solano County. A third case was reported in Illinois on Saturday but how the person got virus was still unknown.

According to the CDC the five new cases brought the number of infections in the United States to 24, exclusing repatriations.

Forty-seven other people who have been repatriated to the United States from Wuhan, China and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship had the virus.

The first possible outbreak in a long term nursing facility was found in the Washington state. The highest risk are the older people and adults in poor health.

The coronavirus testing by speeding the hospital’s abilities to test was expanded by the Food and Drug Administration. There were worries that the change fell short in reducing logistical burdens.

Along with China and South Korea, Italy will become the third country to confirm more than 1,000 cases of the virus.

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