UPDATED: City health officials on Sunday said that they had found a second and third suspected cases of the new coronavirus whose samples will now be sent for testing by federal health officials. The news came in back-to-back reports. Both individuals are described as over 60 years old and as having recently traveled to China. The first person identified is said to be hospitalized at Flushing Hospital Medical Center, while the second is at New York-Presbyterian Queens. Both are in stable condition.
On Saturday, a patient at Bellevue Hospital Center was identified as the first possible case of coronavirus. City health officials said the person has no family in New York City and had been in the U.S. for two days before developing symptoms.
The three cases will await testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is headquartered in Atlanta. All testing in the U.S. is being done by the CDC until federal officials can approve a diagnostic test for local health agencies to use. Results for the latest two tests are expected to take between 36 to 48 hours, according to the city Department of Health.
Those who are suspected of possibly having the infection must meet a set of criteria, which include a travel history to China and being ruled out for 26 common viruses, which doctors can test for. But compounding anxiety among some people is the fact the symptoms for the new coronavirus are similar to the flu: fever, coughing and other respiratory ailments. It is believed to have an incubation period of between two to 14 days.
“We are continuing to work closely with our partners at the CDC, State and federal government as the coronavirus situation evolves,” said Dr. Oxiris Barbot, the city's health commissioner, in a press release. “If you have traveled to the area affected by the outbreak in the last 14 days and feel unwell, call your doctor or visit a clinic, and you will be cared for. Also, practice everyday precautions like you would during flu season—wash your hands frequently, and cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze."
Alarm about the disease, which was first reported in Wuhan, China at the end of December, is growing steadily. According to some infectious disease experts, the virus is likely to become a pandemic, which means an epidemic reaching global proportions. On Sunday, the death toll reached at least 360, and the worldwide total of people with infections is now nearly 17,205, according to Chinese and World Health Organization data.
The vast majority of cases are in China. Last week, the World Health Organization declared the Wuhan coronavirus a global health emergency.
At a press conference on Saturday, Mayor Bill de Blasio urged people to stay calm.
"People should be very clear about what this disease is and what it isn't," he said. "New Yorkers should go about our lives, continue doing what we do. Normally you can rest assured there will be constant updates on the situation."
On Saturday, the World Health Organization issued its latest status report. As of this moment, the main driver of the coronavirus appears to be individuals who are showing symptoms. One of the fears has been that those spreading the infection may not even exhibit signs of being sick. But based on the data thus far, the report said, "transmission from asymptomatic cases is likely not a major driver of transmission."
