Slashdot: Health Experts Worry Coronavirus May Be Spreading Undetected in the US

Health Experts Worry Coronavirus May Be Spreading Undetected in the US
Published on February 29, 2020 at 09:04PM
The Boston Globe's Stat News site reports that the new coronavirus "may be spreading in parts of the Pacific Northwest, with California, Oregon, and Washington State reporting Friday that they have diagnosed cases with no travel history or known contact with another case...." Problems with a coronavirus test developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have meant that little testing for the new virus has been done in the U.S. Worried infectious diseases experts have warned that the lack of apparent cases in the country cannot be taken as a sign the virus isn't spreading, undetected in some places... The discovery that the virus may be spreading in the country should not come as a surprise, said Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy. "It just tells us where there is testing, there are cases. And that's what we have to understand," Osterholm said. "There is no such thing as a barrier containment to keep these out. It's going to happen. And what we have to do now is get on with how we're going to deal with them...." Dr. Sara Cody, health officer for Santa Clara County, said individuals need to start practicing good hand hygiene and learn to stop touching their faces -- people can infect themselves if they pick up viruses off a contaminated surface, then put a finger in their mouth or rub their eyes or nose.

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