CDC warns public about global coronavirus pandemic, outbreak in U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The CDC is warning the novel coronavirus is likely on the verge of triggering a global pandemic. The government agency is now urging the American public to prepare for “when,” not “if” a larger outbreak will strike the United States.

“Current global circumstances suggest it’s likely this virus will cause a pandemic,” Anne Schuchat with the CDC said. “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of when this will happen and how many people in this country will become infected.”

The Trump administration is now requesting $2.5 billion dollars to prepare.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said, “We’ve got to expand our surveillance system to be more comparable to what our flu surveillance system is like. There will be additional needs with lab testing, contact tracing. We have a billion dollars in there for vaccine development.”

Coronavirus is currently contained in the U.S. Secretary Azar said, “We are now at two weeks no additional U.S. based cases.”

“The fact that we have been able to keep cases to this low level is an accomplishment,” Schuchat said. “Especially given that we are, unfortunately, beginning to see community spread in a growing number of other countries.”

Officials are now warning the public needs to stay alert.

“This is a very serious public health condition worldwide,” Schuchat said. “We are taking this incredibly serious here in the United States. We are doing the most aggressive containment efforts in modern history to prevent further spread in the United States. We are going to continue taking those measures but we are realistic that we will see more cases.”

A state of emergency has now been declared in San Francisco. No cases have been confirmed in the city but the mayor said she is declaring the order to better prepare for the potential arrival of the virus.