The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday that the number of confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in the United States has risen to five.
The five patients — all people who’d traveled recently to Wuhan, China — are in isolation at hospitals. Three cases were confirmed Sunday: one in Maricopa County, Arizona; one in Los Angeles County, California; and one in Orange County, California. Two others were previously reported: one in Everett, Washington, and another in Chicago.
The number of suspected cases in the United States has been growing rapidly, and about 100 samples from 26 states have been sent to the CDC for testing. Five have tested positive and 25 have tested negative; the rest are pending. The CDC has specific criteria for testing for the new coronavirus, and suspected patients should have the following:
- a fever
- cough and/or difficulty breathing
- recent travel to Wuhan, China
- and/or close contact with a confirmed or suspected case of new coronavirus.
It takes about four to six hours to diagnose a case once a sample arrives at the CDC.
