WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States will start screening travelers for coronavirus and ramp up production of masks and test kits as the government scrambles to reassure Americans it has the rapidly spreading disease under control.
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump walks from Marine One as he returns from speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, at the White House in Washington, U.S., U.S., February 29, 2020. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts
The first American died from coronavirus, a man in his 50s with underlying conditions in Washington state, officials said Saturday. The state has recorded two other “presumptive” cases at a long-term care facility where more than 50 residents and staff could be showing symptoms.
New cases were reported in the Chicago area and Rhode Island.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said travelers from countries at high risk of coronavirus would be screened before boarding and upon arrival, without specifying which countries.
The United States has 75,000 test kits for coronavirus and will expand that number “radically” in coming weeks, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.
Vice President Mike Pence said the government had contracted 3M Co (MMM.N) to produce an extra 35 million respiratory masks a month. He urged Americans not to buy the masks, which he said were only needed by healthcare workers. Honeywell International Inc (HON.N) is the other major U.S. mask producer.
The Trump administration is scrambling to respond to the fast-spreading virus that originated in China through travel restrictions and widespread messaging on safety procedures, while working to avert public panic. Nearly 70 cases have been reported in the United States.
Trump held a press conference on Saturday to outline efforts to prevent a further spread, amid growing criticism from Democrats about the administration’s handling of the crisis.
Pence, whom Trump appointed last week to run the White House’s coronavirus response, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” Americans should brace for more cases, but that the “vast majority” of those who contracted the disease would recover.
“Other than in areas where there are individuals that have been infected with the coronavirus, people need to understand that for the average American, the risk does remain low. We’re ready,” Pence said told NBC.
The United States has imposed limits on travelers who have visited Iran and recommended against travel to hard-hit areas of Italy and South Korea.
Trump on Saturday said the United States was also considering shutting the country’s southern border with Mexico to control the spread of the virus.
Asked why Washington was not banning visitors from South Korea and Italy, Pence told NBC that outbreaks in those countries were “isolated to a certain section of each country.”
He said the U.S. State Department on Saturday began discussions with official in both countries about their screening of people there who were seeking to travel to the United States. “We’re going to coordinate with them, provide expert counsel for that,” he said.
Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Daniel Wallis
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMilAFodHRwczovL3d3dy5yZXV0ZXJzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2xlL3VzLWNoaW5hLWhlYWx0aC11c2EvY29yb25hdmlydXMtc3B1cnMtdXMtdG8tc2NyZWVuLXRyYXZlbGVycy1yYW1wLXVwLW1hc2stcHJvZHVjdGlvbi1hZnRlci1maXJzdC1kZWF0aC1pZFVTS0JOMjBPMVdG0gE0aHR0cHM6Ly9tb2JpbGUucmV1dGVycy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9hbXAvaWRVU0tCTjIwTzFXRg?oc=5
2020-03-01 15:00:00Z
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