The case is of an 18 year-old boy who was tested “presumptive positiveâ€
Los Angeles: US health officials reported Friday a fourth case of novel coronavirus of unknown origin, indicating the disease was spreading in the country.
The latest case is a boy under 18 in Washington State who tested “presumptive positive,” local authorities said without releasing further details about the patient.
He is currently in home isolation in Snohomish County. The high school he attends will be shut until March 3 while it is deep cleaned, the Washington State Department of Health said.
In neighbouring Oregon, authorities said Friday an adult who had had contact with people at an elementary school had been hospitalized and was also considered “presumptive positive.”
“We've been expecting this and we're prepared for it,” Oregon's Health Authority director Patrick Allen told reporters.
Earlier Friday, Californian health authorities said an older woman was confirmed infected with unknown origin -- the second such case in the northern part of the state.
“This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission but the extent is still not clear,” said Sara Cody, director of public health for Santa Clara County.
“What we know now is that the virus is here, present at some level, but we still don't know to what degree,” she added.
The two cases in California are close to Silicon Valley, where tech giants like Apple, Google and Tesla are based.
Travel advisory issued
The United States on Friday warned against non-essential travel to Italy, a top destination for US tourists, over the growing coronavirus epidemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “recommends that travelers avoid all non-essential travel to Italy. There is limited access to adequate medical care in affected areas,” it said in a statement.
The State Department raised its travel advice a notch for Italy to “reconsider travel,” pointing to a “sustained community spread” of the virus there.
Italy has reported 650 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths -- the most in Europe from the epidemic that originated in China, which is by far the most affected country.
Italy has urged tourists not to stay away, even as nearly a dozen cities in the north are under lockdown.
