First Person-To-Person Transmission Of Coronavirus Confirmed In U.S.

The Associated Press: US Reports 1st Case Of Person-To-Person Spread Of New Virus
For the first time in the U.S., the new virus from China has spread from one person to another, health officials said Thursday. The latest case — the sixth in the country — is the husband of a Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from the epicenter of an outbreak in China. There have been previous cases in China and elsewhere of the virus spreading between people in a household or workplace. (Stobbe, 1/30)

The Washington Post: U.S. Reports First Person-To-Person Transmission Of New Coronavirus
Officials suspect he picked up the virus in the couple’s home while his wife was symptomatic, according to Jennifer Layden, state epidemiologist for the Illinois Department of Public Health. The woman, who was identified last week as the second U.S. case, has been hospitalized since and is doing well, Layden said. Her husband has not attended mass gatherings, Ngozi Ezike, director of the state health department, said in a news briefing. “The virus is not spreading widely across the community,” she added. Officials are tracing the people who came in contact with the new patient but are not recommending any new precautions by others, Ezike said. (Bernstein, Sun, O'Grady and Abutaleb, 1/30)

Politico: First Case Of Human-To-Human Wuhan Coronavirus Transmission In U.S. Confirmed
Illinois health officials said the man has underlying medical conditions but is in stable condition. Jennifer Layden, the state's chief medical officer, said he was exposed to the virus when his wife was symptomatic. So far, U.S. officials have not seen evidence of asymptomatic transmission of the virus. (Ehley, 1/30)

NPR: 1st Person-To-Person Spread Of Coronavirus Has Occurred In U.S., CDC Says
The CDC says the relatively few people who have been identified as close contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus infections should follow the guidance of their doctors and health departments. The agency is investigating 92 other possible cases across the country. An additional 68 were investigated and tested negative. (Chappell, 1/30)

Politico: Trump Sticks Embattled Health Chief With Coronavirus Response
In the span of a day, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar suddenly became the face of the Trump White House’s public response to the Wuhan coronavirus. He could just as easily become the fall guy if the president grows unhappy with the speed or nature of the virus’ transmission, or the increasingly intense media coverage surrounding the administration’s actions. (Cook and Diamond, 1/30)

The Washington Post: Trump Under Growing Pressure On U.S. Response To Growing Coronavirus Threat
President Trump, a leading critic of the Obama White House’s handling of the Ebola outbreak in 2014, is under increasing political pressure to mount a coordinated federal response to the threat of the new strain of coronavirus — amid fears of a global health crisis with economic ramifications in an election year. The White House has sought to tamp down criticism from Democrats in recent days by projecting an air of confidence and competence, with Trump presiding late Wednesday over an interagency briefing in the Situation Room. (Nakamura, Abutaleb and Dawsey, 1/30)

Roll Call: Lawmakers Fret Over China’s Virus Info As US Local Case Emerges
House lawmakers briefed by the Trump administration Thursday expressed confidence in the United States government’s approach to the spread of coronavirus, although not necessarily China’s response, as officials confirmed the first person infected in the U.S. who had not traveled to China. (Siddons, 1/30)

The Associated Press: American Evacuated From China Still Wary Of Deadly Virus
Jarred Evans, a professional football player in China, is used to wearing safety gear: a helmet and shoulder pads. But in the wake of a deadly viral outbreak, he's switched to a mask and medical gloves. “When you're dealing with life and death, it's a whole different ball game," he said in a telephone interview Thursday. (1/31)

The New York Times: Deaths Surpass 200, And State Department Urges Against Travel To China
The State Department on Thursday night issued a travel advisory telling Americans not to travel to China because of the public health threat posed by the coronavirus. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed the travel advisory on Twitter. The department set the new advisory at Level 4, or Red, its highest caution, which is reserved for the most dangerous situations. (1/30)

The Washington Post: Coronavirus Deaths Surge As U.S. Warns On China Travel; Hong Kong Shuts Schools Until March
The travel advisory, analysts say, represents a strong reaction from the United States amid rivalry with China and pressure from the Trump administration for businesses to shift production back home. The step is likely to have substantial implications for the Chinese economy, even though the warning is not mandatory for travelers to observe, and has already been followed by similar appeals from Japan to its citizens to defer travel to China. (Mahtani, 1/31)

The Washington Post: Here Are The U.S. Airports Where Health Officials Are Screening For The Coronavirus
U.S. health officials are expanding screening for the coronavirus to 20 U.S. ports of entry, including Washington Dulles International, Boston Logan International and airports in Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, Miami and Seattle. (Aratani and Berger, 1/30)

The New York Times: Inside A Coronavirus Evacuation: How 195 Americans Got Out Of Wuhan
This week, a group of strangers came together under a warm Southern California sun. They played ball with their children. They took jogs down tree-lined paths. They watched movies in the afternoon. They also had their temperatures taken several times a day by medical personnel. And they are not allowed to leave the premises. (Jordan, 1/30)

The Hill: American Airlines Pilots Union Sues To Stop Flights To China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
The pilots union at American Airlines filed a lawsuit to immediately stop all flights to and from China amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has killed more than 200 people in China. The Allied Pilots Association filed the suit in Dallas County, Texas, requesting the halt of all flights to China due to the “serious, and in many ways still unknown, health threats posed by the coronavirus.” (Coleman, 1/30)

The New York Times: Masks Are On. Games Are Canceled. Fear Of The Coronavirus Comes To U.S. Colleges.
At the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, two undergraduates from Wuhan, China, were moved to a special dorm room and told to regularly take their temperatures. At Arizona State University, a student-led petition called for classes to be canceled after a confirmed case of coronavirus. Basketball games were postponed at Miami University in Ohio after two students who had recently returned from China displayed possible symptoms. (Bogel-Burroughs, 1/31)

The Associated Press: Klobuchar Proposes Plan To Prevent, Address Global Outbreaks
Democratic presidential hopeful Amy Klobuchar released a plan Thursday to prevent and respond to global outbreaks like the new virus that has sickened people in China and spread to more than a dozen countries, including the U.S. The World Health Organization has declared a global emergency, saying the number of cases spiked more than tenfold in a week. China, which first informed WHO of cases of the new virus in December, has reported more than 7,800 cases including 170 deaths. Eighteen other countries have reported cases. (Burnett, 1/30)

New Hampshire Public Radio: Tests Come Back Negative On Possible Coronavirus Cases In N.H.
Two people in New Hampshire who were being monitored for coronavirus have both tested negative and have fully recovered, according to state health officials. The two people being monitored had recently traveled to China before developing fever and respiratory symptoms. (Moon, 1/30)

Miami Herald: Coronavirus: 30 Students, 3 Teachers In FL Told To Stay Home
Thirty high school students and three teachers from a Palm Beach County school were given the “all clear” to return to campus after a potential coronavirus scare that started with a visit to Yale University over the weekend. School officials say the group has not shown any signs of sickness following the four-day conference in Connecticut. (Marchante, 1/30)

Texas Tribune: Will Coronavirus Hit Texas? What The State Is Doing And More
The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the deadly coronavirus outbreak a global health emergency — the sixth declaration of its kind in the past decade. About 170 people have died overseas from the pneumonia-like illness, and last week Texas had its first scare with four suspected cases — all of which turned out to be false alarms. (Fernandez, 1/30)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Paramedics, EMTs Advised To Screen Patients For Coronavirus
Ohio’s emergency medical responders have been told to screen patients displaying flu-like symptoms for possible exposure to coronavirus.In a Thursday memo to local EMS providers, Carol Cunningham, the state’s medical director, said first responders should triage patients showing fever, cough and difficulty breathing by asking them if they’ve traveled to Wuhan, China within the past 14 days. (Tobias, 1/30)

CBS News: Coronavirus Updates: UC Berkeley Deletes Post Saying Xenophobia Is "Common Reaction" To Coronavirus
The University of California, Berkeley has apologized Thursday after a now-deleted Instagram post listed xenophobia as a common reaction to the spread of coronavirus. The images from the campus' University Health Services explained how to "manage fears and anxiety" about the fast-spreading and highly contagious illness, which listed common reactions — including xenophobia — that people may have as more information unfolds. (Cohen, 1/30)