Coronavirus Cases in the United States Reach 34, and More Are Expected

At least 34 people in the United States are infected with the coronavirus spreading from China, federal health officials said on Friday.

“This new virus represents a tremendous public health threat,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said at a news briefing.

But so far there has been no community spread of the infection in the United States, she added; all of the cases have been linked to overseas travel.

Eleven of the infections were diagnosed in travelers who fell ill after returning on their own from overseas, and two of their close contacts became infected. The other 21 patients are people who were returned to the United States by the State Department.

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