US health officials have confirmed a new case of coronavirus infection in California that could be a sign that the virus is spreading in an American community.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the case on Wednesday night and said it concerned a person in northern California who had no known travel to a country where a virus outbreak has been taking place, or connection to a known patient.
The agency did not immediately release additional details.
All of the 60 other cases in the US had traveled from abroad or had been in close contact with those who traveled. Health officials have been on high alert for what they call community spread.
Earlier US cases included 14 in people who traveled back from outbreak areas in China, or their spouses; three people who were evacuated from the central China city of Wuhan; and 42 American passengers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who were evacuated by the federal government to the US from where the ship was docked in Japan.
San Francisco and Orange county both declared local emergencies on Tuesday. There were no confirmed cases among residents, but the decision allowed officials to free up funds and streamline coordination among departments.
“We see the virus spreading in new parts of the world every day, and we are taking the necessary steps to protect San Franciscans from harm,” the San Francisco mayor, London Breed, said.
The coronavirus outbreak, which began in China, has infected tens of thousands of people in more than three dozen countries, with the vast majority in mainland China.
The new virus is a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the Sars and Mers viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.
The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.
