The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the first case of Wuhan coronavirus in the United States.
The CDC announced that a man has been diagnosed with the deadly pneumonia virus in Washington state.
The first cases of the deadly coronavirus were reported in China.
CDC officials said the patient recently traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city where the respiratory infections began.
At least six people have died and hundreds more are sickened by the mysterious virus. The virus is very contagious and spreads easily from human to human. Sales of disposable masks have skyrocketed.
Human coronaviruses were first identified in the 1960s in cultures taken from nasal swabs of patients with the common cold.
The CDC and Chinese officials report that the new coronavirus leaped from fish and animals to humans. Only seven known coronaviruses infect humans, including the well-publicized SARS outbreaks.
The outbreak has spread to three other Asian countries — Japan, South Korea and Thailand.
Major airlines are screening passengers for symptoms of the coronavirus before they board commercial jets.
Planes are delayed and travelers wait in long lines at New York’s JFK Airport and airports in Los Angeles and San Francisco to be screened for the virus.
Stocks on Wall Street are trading near session lows on the news that the mystery virus is spreading to other countries.
