US steps up precautions to prevent spread of coronavirus
The first patient to test positive for coronavirus in the U.S. has been released from a Seattle-area hospital; Jonathan Serrie reports.
A plane carrying American coronavirus evacuees from Wuhan, China -- the epicenter of the deadly outbreak -- has landed at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego after stopping at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, Calif., early this morning to refuel.
Two planes chartered by the State Department arrived in the U.S. on Wednesday at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, Calif., with one later traveling on to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego. An estimated 350 Americans were on the two flights. All passengers are subject to a 14-day quarantine; they remain in temporary housing units where they will be monitored by medical teams with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for possible symptoms of the coronavirus.
CORONAVIRUS MAY TRANSMIT THROUGH DIGESTIVE TRACT, REPORT FINDS
The planes landed early Wednesday morning in California.
All evacuees were screened in Wuhan for symptoms of the virus -- which have been reported to include fever, shortness of breath and cough -- before departing for the U.S.
The evacuees staying in quarantine at Travis Air Force Base will be housed at a lodging facility on the base, officials with the military base said previously on Facebook.
"A safety cordon will be established, away from residential housing, to ensure the Travis mission can safely continue, the privacy of the evacuees can be enforced, and to protect the health and welfare of our Team Travis community. [Health and Human Services] will be responsible for all care, transportation, and security of the evacuees during the quarantine period," the statement reads in part.
The flights come roughly a week after the first 195 American evacuees from Wuhan also arrived in California. They are under a 14-day quarantine at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.
“Riverside County Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser issued the order requiring the person to stay for the entire incubation period unless otherwise cleared,” a news release from the Riverside County Health Department said at the time. “This action was taken as a result of the unknown risk to the public should someone leave MARB early without undergoing a full health evaluation.”
The first flight briefly stopping to refuel in Alaska before heading to California. The plane was initially scheduled to arrive at Ontario International Airport in San Bernardino County before it was diverted to the airbase in Riverside County for “the logistics that they have," officials said.
On Tuesday, health officials announced a child who was one of the original 195 evacuees developed a fever and was taken to a hospital for additional coronavirus testing. The minor, whose age was not released, is at the Riverside University Health System-Medical Center for testing and observation “out of an abundance of caution,” and was accompanied by a parent, according to a news release.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It's possible more flights carrying American evacuees from Wuhan could arrive in the U.S. in the coming days. The State Department said on Twitter it "may be staging evacuation flights" for U.S. citizens on Thursday. Any U.S. citizens who are evacuated are expected to reimburse the federal executive department for the flight.
The death toll from coronavirus reached 490 on Wednesday. More than 24,000 people have been infected worldwide. Overall, at least 25 countries have reported cases of coronavirus. Currently, the U.S. has confirmed 11 cases -- six in California, one in Arizona, one in Washington state, one in Massachusetts and two in Illinois. No deaths have been reported in the U.S., and the large majority of cases still remain in China.
Fox News' Alexandria Hein contributed to this report.