Growing Fears In The U.S. That Coronavirus Cases May Explode Overnight Just Like In Italy

Daily Beast: Coronavirus May Explode in U.S. Overnight Just Like in Italy

Get ready for a serious test of broken American health infrastructure.

Sooner or later, it’s virtually bound to happen.

Though novel 2019 coronavirus cases in the United States have so far ticked up in fits and starts, experts on deadly diseases say Americans should be prepared to see an overnight boom in cases that mirror the skyrocketing outbreaks in Italy and South Korea.

At last count from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were 60 confirmed novel 2019 coronavirus cases in the U.S. One of those cases—in northern California—marked the first case of unknown origin, as The Washington Post first reported Wednesday. Fourteen patients came through the American health system after traveling to China or having close contact with someone who had. The rest were either repatriated individuals who fled the vicinity of the virus’s origin in China on State Department-chartered planes or else were rescued from the disastrous Diamond Princess cruise ship outbreak.

Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the CDC, acknowledged Tuesday that community spread—when cases are detected in an area but the source of the infection is not known—was very likely to cause more infections in the United States. The case in California, which a CDC statement said was “picked up by astute clinicians,” appeared to prove her right, and set the stage for a serious test of American health infrastructure after years of atrophy.

In Italy, officials have not been able to trace the origin of infections, which skyrocketed from just four on Friday to more than 528 by Thursday, killing at least 14 people. While each country faces its own health and containment challenges, experts say, there is little reason to believe the United States won’t soon face a similar coronavirus surge, even as President Trump on Wednesday urged calm and put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of the disease’s containment.

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WNU Editor: For the past few days I have been reading up on the 1919 Spanish Influenza outbreak. This is exactly what happened. One day there were no cases. Next day an explosion of cases and deaths that increased with time.

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