US health officials alert citizens to begin preparations as coronavirus fear looms large

US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on February 25 made an announcement alerting American citizens to begin preparations for the spread of the coronavirus in the country. The announcement comes as the deadly virus has spread in more than 30 countries across the globe. According to reports, the epidemic has killed over 2,700 people worldwide, with the vast majority in mainland China. Also, there have been more than 80,000 global cases of the infection, international media reported. 

'Expecting a community spread in the US'

Till now, the US Health agency has remained focused on efforts to stop the virus and on quarantining people travelling from China but this announcement marks a change in its tone. Dr Nancy Messonnier, CDC’s head of respiratory diseases while talking to media reporters on a conference call said that the data over the past week about the spread of the virus in other countries have raised the level of concern and expectations there would be a community spread in the US. 

She further said what they are still unaware of is how will it arrive and how severe the US outbreak might be. She added that disruption to everyday life might be severe before saying that businesses, schools and families should begin having discussions about possible impact from the spread. 

Read: Six Countries Pull Out Of Shooting World Cup In Delhi Amid Coronavirus Breakout

In a separate teleconference, Dr Anne Schuchat, CDC’s principal deputy director said that while the immediate risk in the US was low, however, the current global situation suggested a pandemic was likely. She further said that the question right now was of when will the infection spread and how many people will be infected by the virus. 

Read: Sensex Tanks 392 Pts As Coronavirus Rattles Global Markets

Meanwhile, US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar told a Senate subcommittee that there will be likely more cases in the country and asked senators to approve a $2.5 billion in funding to fight the outbreak. He reportedly said that while the immediate risk to individual members was low, there was now a community transmission in many countries outside Asia which was deeply concerning. 

Read: Coronavirus Outbreak: 52 New Deaths Confirmed In China, Total Spikes To 2,715

Read: US Health Official: America Could See Similar Death Rate To China If Coronavirus Spreads