CDC tells Americans to start readying for outbreak

THE CDC has issued a warning tht Americans should begin preparing for a U.S. outbreak of Covid-19, known as the coronavirus. Above, tourists wear protective face masks as they walk in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO./ANDREA MEROLA
THE CDC has issued a warning that Americans should begin preparing for a U.S. outbreak of Covid-19, known as the coronavirus. Above, tourists wear protective face masks as they walk in Venice, Italy, on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO./ANDREA MEROLA

NEW YORK – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to prepare for a coronavirus outbreak at home that could lead to significant disruptions of daily life. Congress was told that there’s shortage of masks needed for health workers if one occurs.

New cases were reported in Europe, prompting worries of a widening outbreak there. Iran reported a total of 15 deaths, the most fatalities outside China, and a top health official tested positive. Chinese President Xi Jinping said his country was confident of limiting the impact, though new cases continue to be identified elsewhere in Asia.

Moderna Inc. shipped a first vaccine for testing in humans. The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is also starting a trial of Gilead Sciences Inc. drug.

Key developments

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  • China death toll 2,663, up 71; total mainland cases at 77,658
  • Italy cases rise to 322 from 229; Austria reports two infections
  • United Air abandons profit goal, Mastercard cuts forecast
  • S. stocks head for a fourth straight decline; bond yields fall

CDC warns Americans to prepare for outbreak

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Americans should prepare for school closings, cancellations of sporting events, concerts and business meetings if the coronavirus spreads in the United States.

“We expect we will see community spread in this country,” Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on a call with reporters Tuesday. “It is not a matter of if, but a question of when, this will exactly happen.”

The outbreak is “rapidly evolving and expanding,” she said. “Now is the time” for businesses, schools and hospitals to begin preparing. She said that Americans should prepare for the coronavirus epidemic on our shores and to assume it will be bad.

U.S. is short on masks in case of American outbreak

The U.S. has far fewer protective masks than it would need in the case of a major outbreak of the coronavirus in the country, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told Congress Tuesday.

The U.S. has about 30 million stockpiled N95 masks that can help stop a person from inhaling infective particles, Azar said, but would need as much as 300 million for health workers in an outbreak. U.S. health officials have said they’re preparing for the coronavirus to eventually begin spreading locally.

Gilead drug being tested on evacuees in Nebraska

Gilead’s antiviral drug remdesivir will be tested on coronavirus patients at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which is housing people who were evacuated from a virus-infested cruise ship in Japan, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said.

Although remdesivir has been administered to some patients with the virus, “we do not have solid data to indicate it can improve clinical outcomes,” said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the institute, said in a statement.

The first trial participant is an American who was repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that docked in Japan. So far, 11 of the 13 patients who were repatriated from the ship to the Nebraska hospital have been confirmed to have the coronavirus.

Remdesivir is also being tested in trials in China and Japan, said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar at a Senate hearing Tuesday.

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