Virginia health officials are investigating three possible cases of a deadly coronavirus that’s killed more than 80 people in China and sickened thousands of others around the world.
The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) on its website announced that two cases in central Virginia and one case in northern Virginia meet “both clinical and epidemiologic criteria for 2019 – nCoV, ”or the novel coronavirus that was first reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, likely beginning at an animal and seafood market.
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No other information was provided; Officials said details about the patients will not be released due to confidentiality reasons.
“VDH is encouraging health care providers to ask patients about recent international travel and consider – nCoV infection in patients who have traveled to Wuhan, China within 60 days of the onset of symptoms, including fever and respiratory symptoms, ”officials said.
The news comes after additional US cases of coronavirus were confirmed over the weekend, bringing the nation’s tally to five. All cases were among people who traveled to Wuhan. Two new cases were reported Sunday, one in Los Angeles County in California and one in Maricopa County, Arizona.
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The three previously reported cases were a patient in Orange County, California; a man in his 80 s in Washington state; and a woman in her 90 s from Chicago.
The US patients generally have been reported to be in good condition and were hospitalized in isolation for monitoring.
The Associated Press contributed to this report .
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