Coronavirus Pandemic In the United States

The first case in the United States of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was confirmed on January 20, 2020, in a 35-year-old man who had returned from Wuhan, China, on January 15.[1] The White House Coronavirus Task Force was established on January 29.[4] Two days later, the administration of President Donald Trump declared a public health emergency and announced restrictions on travelers arriving from China.[5] By March 12, diagnosed cases of the novel COVID-19 in the U.S. exceeded 1,000. The number of active cases exceeded 2,000 by March 14, 3,000 by March 15, and 4,000 by March 16.[6] Of the 108 deaths in the country, 55 occurred in the state of Washington, with 29 of those at a nursing home.[7] Cases have been confirmed in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. As of March 17, only the territories of American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands had no confirmed cases.[8] Deaths from the pandemic have occurred in 17 states. Trump declared the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic a national emergency on March 13.

The government first began testing persons for the virus infection in February, but soon after, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that the test kits were defective and gave inaccurate readings, thus rendering them useless.[9] This was followed by the government announcing a series of measures intended to speed up testing. As of March 14, all 50 states were able to perform tests, with a doctor's approval, either from the CDC or from commercial labs in a state, but the number of available test kits remained very limited,[10] which means that the true number of people currently infected with the virus is impossible to estimate with any reasonable accuracy. The CDC has suggested that doctors use their own judgment along with certain guidelines before authorizing a test.

The CDC has advised against non-essential travel to China, Iran, the 26 European countries that comprise the Schengen Area, and the United Kingdom and Ireland. The United States is also denying entry to foreign nationals who have traveled through any of these regions within the past 14 days. Americans returning home after traveling in China's Hubei Province have been required to submit to a 14-day quarantine. Any U.S. citizen returning to the United States who has been in the rest of mainland China within the previous 14 days may be required to undergo a health screening and possible self-quarantine.[11][12]

Responses to the outbreak have included prohibitions and cancellation of large-scale gatherings, including the closure of schools and other educational institutions, the cancellation of trade shows, conventions, music festivals, and the cancellation and suspension of sporting events and leagues—measures which intensified on March 11 after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a pandemic.[13] The CDC warned that widespread transmission may force large numbers of people to seek hospitalization and other healthcare, which may overload healthcare systems,[14] and the U.S. government has advised against any gathering of more than 10 people.[15]