Watchful Waiting Around Country Amid Growing Number Of Pending Coronavirus Tests In US
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The number of people infected with coronavirus surged by more than 3,000 overnight. There are more than 20,000 confirmed cases in China and a growing number of pending tests here in the United States.
The CDC lab in Atlanta, the only place currently testing samples for coronavirus, has been overwhelmed.
There's watchful waiting around the country, including at Princeton, New Jersey.
Princeton University had initially been monitoring 100 students who recently visited China. No one has been sick or symptomatic but one student is still being assessed.
Some are in self-quarantine even though the university says it's not needed.
"If I go to work, I'll put my coworkers' health at risk. I don't want to do that. That's why I want to stay home and work from home," said Princeton employee Yong Wu.
New Restrictions In Place To Contain Growing Number Of Potential Coronavirus Cases In US
In the United States, officials have identified a second case of person-to-person transmission, this time in California. The CDC is currently monitoring 82 people for potential infection.
"It seems that the virus spreads fairly easily when you're not isolating cases quickly," said infectious disease specialist Dr. Mark Mulligan.
Cases in the United States, so far, have not been serious.
Worldwide, coronavirus cases have spread to more than two dozen countries. Two deaths have been identified outside of mainland China.
In Hong Kong, more than 2,000 striking medical workers are demanding the government close its borders with mainland China.
Hong Kong now has one confirmed death and at least 15 cases of the virus.
"There is a significant risk of community transmission in Hong Kong," said Dr. Chuang Shuk-Kwan, with the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection.
In Japan, health officials quarantined thousands of cruise ship passengers after a Hong Kong man sailed on it last month tested positive for the virus.
Australia sent hundreds of evacuees from the epicenter of the outbreak to a remote island in the Indian Ocean to monitor them for symptoms.
The World Health Organization called some countries' restrictions excessive.
"There is no reason for measures that unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade," said WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
On Tuesday, the U.S. government announced it was making nearly $250 million in emergency funds available. Some of that will be used to cover the costs of screening and monitoring returning U.S. citizens in the coming weeks.
