Coronavirus Disease 2019 CDC Summary
On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern external icon” (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community respond to COVID-19.
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Summary
Background
CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus first detected in China and has now been detected in almost 70 locations internationally, including in the United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2”, and the disease it causes has been called “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).
On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern external icon” (PHEIC). On January 31, 2020, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency (PHE) for the United States to aid the nation’s healthcare community respond to COVID-19.
Source and Spread of the Virus
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses common in people and many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people, such as with MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and now with this new virus (SARS-CoV-2).
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a betacoronavirus, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. All three of these viruses have their origins in bats. The sequences from U.S. patients are similar to the one-China initially posted, suggesting a likely single, recent emergence of this virus from an animal reservoir.
Early on, many of the patients at the epicentre of the outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, had some link to large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. Later, many patients reportedly did not have exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread. Person-to-person spread was subsequently reported outside Hubei and in countries outside China, including in the United States. Some international destinations now have apparent community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19, including some parts of the United States. Community spread means some people have been infected, and it is not known how or where they became exposed. Learn what is known about the reach of these newly emerged coronaviruses.
The situation in the U.S.
Imported cases of COVID-19 in travellers have been detected in the U.S.
The Person-to-person spread of COVID-19 was first reported among returned travellers from Wuhan close contacts.
On February 23, CDC reported community spread of the virus that causes COVID-19 in California (in two places), Oregon and Washington. Community spread in Washington resulted in the first death in the United States from COVID-19, the first reported case of COVID-19 in a health care worker, and the first potential outbreak in a long-term care facility.
Illness Severity
Both MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV have been known to cause severe illness in people. The complete clinical picture concerning COVID-19 is not fully understood. Reported illnesses have ranged from mild to severe, including disease resulting in death. While information suggests that most COVID-19 infection is soft, an external report from China suggests serious illness occurs in 16% of cases. For example, older people and people with certain underlying health conditions like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for instance, seem to be at greater risk of serious illness.
Learn more about the symptoms associated with COVID-19.
There are ongoing investigations to learn more. It is a rapidly evolving situation.
Risk Assessment
Outbreaks of novel virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment medications). This disease has caused illness, including illness resulting in death, and sustained person-to-person spread is concerning. These factors meet two of the criteria of a pandemic. As community spread is detected in more and more countries, the world moves closer toward meeting the third criteria, the worldwide spread of the new virus.
The reported community spread of COVID-19 in parts of the United States raises concern about the immediate threat for COVID-19 for those communities. The potential public health threat posed by COVID-19 is very high to the United States and globally.
This virus is NOT currently spreading widely in the United States. However, most people in the United States will have little immediate risk of exposure to this virus. However, it is essential to note that current global circumstances suggest it is likely that this virus will cause a pandemic. It is a rapidly evolving situation.
Current risk assessment:
For most of the American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 is considered low.
People in communities where ongoing community spread with the virus that causes COVID-19 has been reported are at elevated, though the still relatively low risk of exposure.
Healthcare workers caring for patients with COVID-19 are at elevated risk of exposure.
Close contacts of persons with COVID-19 also are at elevated risk of exposure.
Travellers returning from affected international locations where community spread is occurring also are at elevated risk of exposure.
CDC has developed guidance to help in the risk assessment and management of people with potential exposures to COVID-19.
What May Happen
More cases of COVID-19 are likely to be identified in the coming days, including more patients in the United States. It’s also expected that person-to-person spread will continue, including in communities in the United States. The widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will likely occur.
Widespread transmission of COVID-19 would translate into large numbers of people needing medical care simultaneously.
Schools, childcare centres, workplaces, and other places for mass gatherings may experience more absenteeism. Public health and healthcare systems may become overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths. Other critical infrastructure, such as law enforcement, emergency medical services, and the transportation industry, may also be affected. Health care providers and hospitals may be overwhelmed. There is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19 and no medications approved to treat it. Nonpharmaceutical interventions would be the essential response strategy.
CDC Response
Global efforts at this time are focused concurrently on containing the spread and mitigating the impact of this virus. The federal government is working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners and public health partners to respond to this public health threat. The public health response is multi-layered to detect and minimize introductions of this virus in the United States. CDC is operationalizing all of its pandemic preparedness and response plans, working on multiple fronts to meet these goals, including specific measures to prepare communities to respond to local transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19. Pandemic guidance is developed in anticipation of an influenza pandemic. It is being repurposed and adapted for a COVID-19 pandemic.
