Page 6 - HOH

A6 U.S. NEWS
Wednesday 4 March 2020
Tensions rise as U.S. death toll from coronavirus reaches 9

By GENE JOHNSON and options and other prob-
CARLA K. JOHNSON lems as health authorities
Associated Press scramble to deal with the
SEATTLE (AP) — Tensions over crisis.
how to contain the coro- "The people across my state
navirus escalated Tuesday are really scared. I'm hear-
in the United States as the ing from people who are
death toll climbed to nine sick, who want to get test-
and lawmakers expressed ed and don't know where
doubts about the govern- to go," Murray said. "It's un-
ment's ability to ramp up acceptable that people in
testing fast enough to deal my state can't even get an
with the crisis. answer as to whether or not
All of the deaths have oc- they are infected."
curred in Washington state, One lab was already test-
and most were residents ing for coronavirus in Wash-
of a nursing home in sub- ington state and a second
urban Seattle. The num- was scheduled to begin
ber of infections in the U.S. doing so Tuesday.
overall climbed past 100, Amid the rising fears, a
scattered across at least school district north of Se-
15 states, with 27 cases in attle closed for training on
Washington alone. conducting remote les-
"What is happening now in sons via computer in case
the United States may be schools have to be shut
the beginning of what is down for an extended pe-
happening abroad," said riod, while a private school
Dr. Nancy Messonnier of said it would conduct on-
the Centers for Disease line-only classes through
Control and Prevention, the end of March.
noting that in China, where "We do not feel it is prudent
the outbreak began more to wait until there is a known
than two months ago, old- case to take action," the
er and sicker people are school, Eastside Prep in the
about twice as likely to be- Seattle suburb of Kirkland,
come seriously ill as those said on its website.
who are younger and A man wearing a mask and goggles rides his bike out of the parking lot at the Life Care Center is A Department of Home-
healthier. Most cases have shown in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle, Tuesday, March 3, 2020. land Security facility just
been mild. Associated Press south of Seattle instructed
The nursing home outbreak all its employees to work
apparently seeded the but wish they knew more on the day, or 2.9%. "I'm hearing from health from home after a worker
first case in North Carolina, about the virus. "We have seen a broader professionals that's unrealis- became ill after visiting the
authorities said. A Wake "It's crazy. A couple of spread of the virus. So, we tic," Democratic Sen. Patty nursing home at the center
County resident who had weeks ago, it seemed like saw a risk to the economy Murray of Washington state of the outbreak.
visited the Washington a foreign thing and now and we chose to act," Fed said at a Senate hearing. Elsewhere around the
state nursing home tested we're getting tested," Grim- Chairman Jerome Powell The chief of the Food and world, the crisis continued
positive but is in isolation at stad said. "If I was exposed said. Drug Administration, Dr. to ebb in China, where
home and is doing well, ac- a month ago, the problem Also, the Food and Drug Stephen Hahn, said the hundreds of patients were
cording to the North Caro- is more widespread than and Administration sought FDA has been working with released from hospitals and
lina governor's office. we know." to ease a shortage of face a private company to get new infections dropped to
In suburban Seattle, 27 In the nation's capital, of- masks by giving health as many as 2,500 test kits just 125 on Tuesday, the
firefighters and paramed- ficials moved on a number care workers the OK to use out to labs by the end of lowest in several weeks.
ics who responded to calls of fronts. an industrial type of res- the week. Each kit should But the crisis seemed to
at the nursing home were A bipartisan $7.5 billion pirator mask designed to enable a lab to run about shift westward, with alarm-
tested for the virus Tuesday emergency bill to fund the protect construction crews 500 tests, he said. But health ingly fast-growing clusters
using a drive-thru system government's response to from dust and debris. officials were careful about of infections and deaths in
set up in a hospital parking the outbreak worked its Lawmakers on Capitol making promises. South Korea, Iran and Italy.
area. way through Congress. Hill expressed skepticism "I am optimistic, but I want Worldwide, more than
Thirty-year-old firefighter The Federal Reserve an- about U.S. health officials' to remain humble," said 92,000 people have been
Kevin Grimstad took care of nounced the biggest claims that testing for the Dr. Anne Schuchat of the sickened and 3,100 have
two patients Jan. 29 at Life interest-rate cut in over new virus should be widely CDC. died, the vast majority of
Care Center in Kirkland. He a decade to try to fend available soon. In Washington state, re- them in China. Most cases
is among 10 from the Kirk- off damage to the U.S. CDC test kits delivered to searchers believe the virus have been mild.
land Fire Department who economy from the factory states and cities in January may have been circulating "What China shows is that
developed symptoms after shutdowns, travel restric- proved faulty. undetected for weeks. That early containment and
calls to the nursing facility. tions and other disruptions Authorities have said labs has raised fears that there identification of cases can
Grimstad, his wife and around the globe. On Wall across the country should could be hundreds of undi- work, but we now need
6-month-old son have tak- Street, stocks rallied briefly have the capacity to run agnosed cases in the area. to implement that in other
en turns recovering from fe- on the news, then went into as many as 1 million tests by But some people who want countries," said Dr. Nathalie
vers, coughs and conges- another steep slide, with the end of the week. to be tested for the virus in MacDermott, an infectious-
tion. the Dow Jones Industrial But testing so far has faced the state are encountering diseases expert at King's
They're all feeling better, Average losing 785 points delays and missteps, and confusion, a lack of testing College London.q