March 2, 2020 — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is aware of four new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 announced by state public health authorities who are currently conducting investigations.
- California has announced a second possible instance of community spread.
- Oregon has announced its first possible instance of community spread.
- The state of Washington has announced two presumptive cases. One is likely travel related. The other is the state’s first possible instance of community spread.
Community spread means spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. One previous possible instance of community spread was announced in California on February 26.
The four patients tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 in their respective states using the CDC-developed rRT-PCR. They are considered presumptive positive cases pending CDC confirmatory testing. However, CDC and State and local public health authorities are proceeding with public health investigations and response activities as if these were confirmed cases.
With both confirmed and presumptive positive cases, CDC recommends healthcare providers follow the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or Persons Under Investigation for COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings.
These four cases bring the total number of COVID-19 cases detected through the U.S. public health system to 19.
The federal government has been working closely with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners, as well as public health partners, to respond to this public health threat. Unprecedented, aggressive efforts have been taken to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of this virus. CDC and federal partners have been preparing for the detection of additional instances of person-to-person spread of COVID-19 for weeks. The federal government will continue to respond aggressively to this rapidly evolving situation.
For more information about COVID-19: www.cdc.gov/covid19
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