California: Over 8,400 people being monitored for possible coronavirus

California Governor Gavin Newsom said on February 28 that the western US state is monitoring more than 8400 people who arrived on commercial flights amid the worldwide concerns of deadly coronavirus outbreak. Newsom said that 33 people have been tested positive for COVID-19, as per reports. This step was taken just a day after US health officials confirmed the first possible spread of the virus in a Solano County resident. Newsom told at a news briefing in Sacramento that presently, California has only 200 test kits and has appealed to expand its testing protocols in a bid to take preventive measures to curb the deadly virus as it spreads through US communities.

READ: US Medical Staff Delayed Coronavirus Test Of First Infected Patient: Whistleblower

CDC assures to advance testing protocols

He added that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made sure that testing protocols will be advanced and access to testing kits will grow in the coming days. California on Wednesday confirmed a coronavirus case of unknown origin, which is the first incident of the virus spreading within US communities. The female patient, who resides in northern California's Solano County, was not initially tested for the new coronavirus as she did not meet criteria laid out by the CDC, according to a statement by UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, where she is being treated. 

READ: Coronavirus Scare: Countries That Have Issued Travel Restrictions And Advisories

A lawmaker has reportedly revealed on February 27 that the California woman who was the first case of deadly coronavirus in the United States with an unknown origin was not tested for five days by the medical staff. The new development comes amid media reports citing a whistleblower complaint that the federal health workers had interacted with the quarantined patients in two California air bases in the absence of proper gear or training before they were dispersed around the country. The California woman is also from one of these cities, Travis Air Force Base in Solano County. 

READ: Facebook Cancels Annual Developer Conference Amid Coronavirus Dread

READ: Europe And US Markets Slump As Coronavirus Fears Threaten Global Slowdown