According to experts, the dangerously transmissible coronavirus will quickly become a pandemic as numbers of those infected continue to grow in China as well as countries around the world.
By definition, a pandemic is described as a disease that spreads across a massive region across continents and also the entire globe. The coronavirus has been spreading at a similar pace to influenza according to the New York Times.
“It’s very, very transmissible, and it almost certainly is going to be a pandemic,” director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, revealed to the publication.
Currently, there are 11 confirmed cases in the U.S. as of Monday morning.
Six cases are in California, one in Arizona, one in Washington state, one in Massachusetts and two in Illinois. And while no deaths have been reported in the U.S. — 99 percent of cases remain in China.
This past Sunday, three more were said to be infected in California.
“I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to [the] general public remains low,” shared Santa Clara County’s health officer, said Dr. Sara Cody. “A second case is not unexpected. With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases.”
On Sunday, the U.S. announced how Americans who traveled to China within the last 14 days would be sent to designated airports for enhanced screenings while foreign nationals who recently went to China would be denied entry aside from the immediate family of American citizens and permanent residents.