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The two U.S. residents who have been diagnosed with the new coronavirus had both traveled to Wuhan City, China, and arrived in the United States this month with no symptoms.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that it has investigated at least 63 U.S. residents in 22 states for the virus. Eleven of those individuals tested negative. One man in Washington state and a woman in her 60s in Chicago have both been diagnosed with the respiratory virus. Officials said the woman, who returned from Wuhan on Jan. 13, is in stable condition but remains hospitalized, primarily for infection control.
Health officials in Chicago said the woman had not used public transportation or attended major events once back in the city. Her “close contacts” are being monitored.
As of Jan. 24, officials have screened more than 2,000 people from about 200 flights in the active entry screening program under way at five U.S. airports. No cases were identified as part of the program.
“We first began entry screening with a very clear focus on the epidemic center, that we would continue to evaluate and balance the utility of a border entry screening based on the totality of the circumstances,” a CDC official said. “Circumstances have clearly changed…The concentration of resources and efforts needs to be focused on the tremendous work that our state and local partners are doing to rapidly identify cases and contacts.”
They also said they are “re-evaluating” the extent and duration of airport screening.
China has halted flights out of Wuhan, quarantined the city, and canceled major Lunar New Year celebrations. Travel history and symptoms, including fever and coughing, are the primary reasons why individuals should contact a health care provider if they are concerned about an infection.
Here’s what we know about the virus: Health officials said Friday that the incubation period for the new coronavirus is about 14 days. The incubation periods for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), both coronaviruses, are 2 to 7 days and about 5 days, respectively, according to the CDC. There are at least 881 confirmed cases and 26 deaths of the new virus, according to China Central Television, as cited by The Wall Street Journal.
Raymond James’ Chris Meekins wrote in a research note that it is likely that there are 10 times the number of cases and deaths that have been publicly reported by China. “We doubt it will become a major issue in the U.S.,” he wrote. “We suspect more cases will show up in the U.S. and a death is possible, though unlikely.” The World Health Organization has not called the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern although it met twice this week to discuss whether to do so.
Here’s how the CDC is testing for the virus: If a potential patient is identified, respiratory samples and sometimes blood are sent to the CDC in Atlanta. Once the sample is prepared, the test takes four to six hours. “Part of the delay is the sample getting to CDC,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a call with reporters.
Here’s how medical stocks are responding: A handful of vaccine developers and diagnostics firms have seen their shares soar, and some have used the rallies to raise money. It’s common for stocks of biotechnology firms and diagnostics makers to jump during disease outbreaks, Meekins said.
Co-Diagnostics Inc. CODX, -19.21% on Friday said it had sold 3,448,278 shares of its common stock the day after it announced it is working on a screening test for the coronavirus. Its stock was down 18% in trading on Friday. Also, this week, Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. INO, +13.54% and Moderna Inc. MRNA, -0.93% separately said they had received grants from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to develop a vaccine. Earlier this week, J.P. Morgan analysts wrote that “a positive bias is appropriate on pharma stocks broadly and makers of diagnostic kits and protective equipment (like gloves).”
The S&P 500 SPX, -0.81% has gained 10% over the last three months, while the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund XLV, -1.54% is up about 12%.
