Coronavirus: US screens evacuated Americans from China at military base in California

The 195 Americans who were rescued from the Wuhan in China amid the rapid increase of Coronavirus outbreak will undergo three days of testing and monitoring at a California military base to ensure there are no signs of the illness, officials said on Wednesday.

The people evacuated from China on the US chartered plane have not been isolated, Dr Chris Braden of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told reporters after the plane landed at the March Air Reserve Base.

Authorities said that the people are not required to stay on the base. But all 195 passengers agreed to stay for up to three days to be evaluated for Coronavirus that has infected over 7000 people and killed 170 in China, the CDC’s Dr Nancy Messonnier said.

READ | US Plane Evacuating Americans Leaves China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

The screening process may last for 14 days

If any passengers decide they want to leave the base before full medical evaluations are completed, US officials would discuss their request. Officials could isolate any of those evacuated on a case-by-case basis if officials determine they need to do so.

If passengers from the chartered flight show no signs of Coronavirus and leave the base, they will continue to be monitored by public health officials at their destinations for the remainder of a period lasting 14 days.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough and in more severe cases, shortness of breath or pneumonia.

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None of the passengers showed signs of having the virus when they were screened before leaving Wuhan, the epicentre of the virus, or when they were screened again during a refuelling stop in Anchorage, Alaska.

Wuhan is the epicentre of Coronavirus, which has largely sickened people in China. The country has cut off access to Wuhan and 16 other cities in Hubei province to prevent people from spreading the virus farther.

In addition to the United States, countries including France, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have planned evacuations of their citizens from Wuhan.

READ | India Urges Citizens To 'refrain From Travelling To China' Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

READ | WHO: Coronavirus Outbreak Is 'emergency In China'

(Image credits: AP)