PEPID News: Coronavirus arrives in US
The CDC and WHO are closely monitoring an outbreak of caused by a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) originating in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The outbreak was reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019. Since then, the death toll has reached 17 with hundreds of cases reported. Yesterday, January 21, 2020, the disease arrived in the United States.
Chinese health authorities have posted the full genome of the 2019-nCoV in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) portal. An International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee of Pneumonia is convening.
There is limited information to characterize the clinical illness associated with 2019-nCoV. 2019 Novel Coronavirus has been confirmed in Thailand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Many countries, including the United States, are actively screening incoming travelers from Wuhan. PEPID has updated diagnostic guidelines for providers to reference: