US raises travel alert for China over coronavirus fears

US raises travel alert for China over coronavirus fears

No new cases confirmed, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, as virus fears tumble markets

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - U.S. health authorities said Monday they are investigating 110 possible cases of the novel coronavirus across 26 states, but reported no new cases have been positively identified as the Trump administration urged Americans to reconsider all travel to China.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that total includes the five patients who have been tested possible for the disease, and 32 patients who have so far tested negative. Results for the remaining 73 patients remain pending, the agency said on its website.

The five confirmed cases include two patients in California, and one each in Washington state, Illinois, and Arizona. All of the patients had recently returned from China.

"While this is a serious public health threat, CDC continues to believe the immediate risk to the U.S. general public is low at this time," the CDC said in confirming the most recent cases in California and Arizona on Sunday.

Fears of the virus spreading further sent markets tumbling, with the Dow opening more than 500 points down before taking back some losses. The Dow was down over 330 points in late-day trading with the S&P down 1.3% and the Nasdaq taking a hit of nearly 1.5%.

U.S. President Donald Trump sought to ease fears, saying on Twitter that U.S. health officials are in "very close communication" with their Chinese counterparts.

"Very few cases reported in USA, but strongly on watch. We have offered China and President Xi any help that is necessary. Our experts are extraordinary!" he said.

The State Department later Monday urged Americans to reconsider travel to the whole of China, raising its travel warning to level three due to the coronavirus. It further warned U.S. nationals not to travel at all to Hubei province, the disease's epicenter, which the department classified level four.

The respiratory illness, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December, has since spread across 29 provinces in the country.

More than 30 other cases have been reported in Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Thailand, the U.S., Singapore, France, Malaysia, Australia, and Vietnam.

Chinese authorities on Sunday announced plans to extend the Lunar New Year holiday, which was originally set to end on Jan. 30, in a bid to reduce mass gatherings and to prevent further spread of the disease.

Travelers from China are being screened for the virus at airports worldwide, and many airlines have suspended flights to Wuhan.

Chinese officials reported deaths from the coronavirus have reached 82 with confirmed cases reaching at least 2,900.

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