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The fourth person in the US to be diagnosed with coronavirus is in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced on Sunday.
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The infected person arrived from Wuhan, China, and is currently being treated at an unknown hospital in Los Angeles.
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It is the second case in California, and the fourth overall case in the United States. The virus was first discovered in Wuhan, China — a city of over 11 million people which is currently under quarantine following the coronavirus outbreak.
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Dozens of people have died from the virus, and over 2,000 people have been diagnosed worldwide.
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The fourth person in the United States to be diagnosed with coronavirus is in Los Angeles, LA County health officials announced on Sunday.
The infected person is receiving treatment at a Los Angeles-area hospital, and health officials “are working to identify persons who may have had close personal contact with this individual.”
The unidentified person traveled to Wuhan, China, where the recent outbreak of coronavirus originated.
Both the third and fourth cases of coronavirus in the United States were announced on Sunday, and both were in California. The US is among 13 countries where people have been diagnosed with the virus, including China, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore, Nepal, France, Australia, Malaysia, and Canada.
Dake Kang/AP
Of the countries with diagnoses, China has suffered the greatest impact: 56 people have died thus far, and the country has over 2,000 cases as of Sunday morning.
In the announcement, Los Angeles County director of public health Barbara Ferrer said LA is “well prepared to manage cases and suspected cases of novel coronavirus,” and she reassured people: “The risk of transmission of coronavirus in LA County remains low.”
Coronavirus has been compared to SARS, and people diagnosed with the virus report pneumonia-like symptoms: fever, and difficulty breathing, among other things. The fatality rate among those diagnosed thus far is just 2.7% — well below that of viruses like Ebola (40%) and SARS (9.6%), according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The recent outbreak of coronavirus is believed to have originated in a seafood market in Wuhan, China. The virus can be spread directly from person-to-person, though it is believed to have originated with bats.
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