Two California coronavirus patients whose cases were confirmed by U.S. health officials over the weekend were transported to a hospital in San Francisco.
The agency didn’t disclose what hospital would house the patients. The identities of the patients were also not given.
The patients “arrived this morning and represent no elevated risk to the public” at large in the city, the department said in a statement. “The hospital is taking all appropriate precautions for patient and staff safety,” it added.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that there are cases confirmed in California, Arizona, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Washington state. The only other instance of person-to-person transmission of the virus was reported in Illinois and also involved a husband and wife.
“We’re working closely and hand-in-hand with the Chinese government to try and resolve what is now this global epidemiological challenge,” Pompeo told the news outlet. “We’ll have more details exactly on when those flights will depart and when they return and how they’ll return to the United States before too long.”
The State Department has already evacuated hundreds of Americans from Wuhan, placing them in a quarantine area at a military base in Southern California.
The Trump administration is now limiting flights from China to seven major U.S. airports for enhanced screening, including the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, Chicago O’Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport in California, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington State, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Hawaii, Los Angeles International Airport in California, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia.
“We realize this could provide added stress and prolong travel times for some individuals, however public health and security experts agree these measures are necessary to contain the virus and protect the American people,” Homeland Security chief Chad Wolf said, adding that the overall risk coronavirus poses to the United States is low.