The coronavirus has claimed the lives of over 3,000 persons worldwide, including two Americans, as of Monday morning. [Washington state officials announced four more deaths there later in the day.]
Despite government-issued travel warnings and restrictions, the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the world. Two people in Washington died from the virus, according to the Washington State Department of Health. [The agency updated that to six on Monday.]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced Sunday that New York confirmed its first case of the virus. The Rhode Island Department of Health also announced the state’s first case of the coronavirus Sunday.
STARTING NOW: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and hospital officials hold news conference on confirmed New York coronavirus case. https://t.co/d8veGlem1V
— ABC News (@ABC) March 2, 2020
There are at least 89 confirmed cases of the virus in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments, CBS reports. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken steps beginning Saturday to dramatically expand testing for the virus.
Government officials are preparing for a significant global impact from the virus, according to a Department of Defense document obtained by Newsweek. Officials predict that the coronavirus will “likely” become a global pandemic within a month.
“The DoD is concerned not only the impact COVID-19 has on mission readiness, but the risk to inadvertently spread the virus to the U.S. by returning members who may have been exposed,” a senior Pentagon official told Newsweek Sunday.
South Korea announced 599 new cases of the virus Monday—a number that is much higher than China’s daily tally and adds to the 4,335 confirmed cases of coronavirus in South Korea, The Washington Post reports.
The publication notes that South Korea, a country which has tested more than 100,000 people, has also confirmed at least 22 deaths. South Korea has tested far more people than most countries.
There are more than 1,600 cases of coronavirus in Italy, and more than 1,500 cases in Iran where 66 people have died, the Post reports.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of this original content, email [email protected].
