Thursday marked the first time new coronavirus cases in countries outside of China exceeded the nation where the virus started. In recent days, the number of new cases in China has dropped significantly, signaling that the country may be close to contaminant of the outbreak. But it still is too early to be certain.
Only 318 new cases were reported outside the Hubei province on Friday, with the total number of cases for China be 327. While the number of new daily cases in China is waning, the number of new cases in nations around the world is concerning. In South Korea, over 500 new cases were reported on Friday, totaling over 2,300 cases and 16 deaths.
In addition, U.S. Federal health officials issued a groundbreaking statement this Tuesday, warning about the possible outbreak in the country: Americans need to start preparing now for the possibility that more aggressive, disruptive measures might be needed to stop the spread of the new coronavirus in the United States.
"It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the head of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a media briefing Tuesday.
The CDC claimed that Americans should prepare for the possibility of disruptions to their daily lives if the virus were to start spreading in the U.S. That could include closing schools, working from home and delaying elective medical procedures.
In the U.S., so far there are 62 locally diagnosed cases that have been confirmed, with most coming from the outbreak on the Diamond Princess (NYSE: CCL) cruise ship in Asia. Concerning signs that the virus may be spreading locally in Northern California have also sent major stock indexes into correction.
Currently, the coronavirus has infected over 84,000 individuals worldwide and caused almost 2,900 deaths, heavily impacting the countries of China, Iran, Italy and South Korea.