Coronavirus Patient in California Was Not Tested for Days - The New York Times

A California coronavirus patient had to wait days to be tested because of restrictive federal criteria, despite doctors’ suggestions.

The patient, who has tested positive, may be the first person to be infected through community spread in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.

Following mounting bipartisan criticism that the administration’s response to the spread of the coronavirus had been sluggish, President Trump on Wednesday named Vice President Mike Pence to coordinate the government’s response, even as he repeatedly played down the danger to the United States of a widespread domestic outbreak.

The Coronavirus Outbreak

• Answers to your most common questions:

  Updated Feb. 26, 2020

  • What is a coronavirus?
    It is a novel virus named for the crownlike spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.
  • How worried should I be?
    New outbreaks in Asia, Europe and the Middle East are renewing fears of a global pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned this week that Americans should brace for the likelihood that the virus will spread to the United States.
  • How do I keep myself and others safe?
    Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.
  • What if I’m traveling?
    The C.D.C. haswarned older and at-risk travelers to avoid Japan, Italy and Iran. The agency also has advised against all nonessential travel to South Korea and China.
  • How can I prepare for a possible outbreak?
    Keep a 30-day supply of essential medicines. Get a flu shot. Have essential household items on hand. Have a support system in place for eldery family members.
  • Where has the virus spread?
    The virus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has sickened more than 80,000 people in at least 33 countries, including Italy, Iran and South Korea.
  • How contagious is the virus?
    According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is probably transmitted through sneezes, coughs and contaminated surfaces. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.
  • Who is working to contain the virus?
    World Health Organization officials have been working with officials in China, where growth has slowed. But this week, as confirmed cases spiked on two continents, experts warned that the world was not ready for a major outbreak.

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“The risk to the American people remains very low,” said Mr. Trump. “We have the greatest experts, really in the world, right here.”

Doctors at the University of California, Davis Medical Center considered the novel pathogen a possible diagnosis when the person was first admitted last week.

But the federal agency that conducts the testing did not administer the test until days later because the case did not fit the agency’s narrow testing criteria, university officials said in a letter to the campus community late Wednesday.

The C.D.C. has restricted testing to patients who either traveled to China recently or who know they had contact with someone infected with the coronavirus.

The C.D.C. could not be immediately reached for comment.

The patient was transferred to the medical center from another hospital in Northern California with a suspected viral infection, and was already on a ventilator upon arrival, according to the university’s letter.

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“Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be Covid-19,” the letter said. The medical center requested testing from the C.D.C. “Since the patient did not fit the existing C.D.C. criteria for Covid-19, a test was not immediately administered. U.C. Davis Health does not control the testing process.”

Please check back for updates on this developing story.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiTWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm55dGltZXMuY29tLzIwMjAvMDIvMjcvaGVhbHRoL2Nvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXRlc3RpbmctY2FsaWZvcm5pYS5odG1s0gFRaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cubnl0aW1lcy5jb20vMjAyMC8wMi8yNy9oZWFsdGgvY29yb25hdmlydXMtdGVzdGluZy1jYWxpZm9ybmlhLmFtcC5odG1s?oc=5

2020-02-27 12:45:00Z
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