Coronavirus Updates: In U.S. and Germany, Community Transmission Now Suspected

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Three cases have emerged that suggest the possible beginning of a worrisome trend.

Trump puts Pence in charge of coronavirus response. ‘We’re very, very ready for this.’

President Trump named Vice President Mike Pence his point person to coordinate the government’s response to the coronavirus, expressing confidence that the United States would prevent a widespread domestic outbreak.

Mr. Trump’s announcement, at a White House news conference, came after two days of contradictory messages from government officials about the dangers posed to Americans by the virus, which first emerged in China and has infected more than 81,000 people globally, killing nearly 3,000. He also expressed confidence that scientists would develop a vaccine, but he provided no details.

“We’re very, very ready for this,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the president condemned the news media, accusing journalists of making the situation “look as bad as possible” even as government health experts warned that the coronavirus threat in the United States was only beginning.

First potential case of community transmission is reported in U.S.

A person in California who was not exposed to anyone known to have been infected with the coronavirus, and who had not traveled to countries where it is circulating, has tested positive for the infection, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday night. 

“The case was detected through the U.S. public health system and picked up by astute clinicians,” a C.D.C. statement said.

It brings the number of infections in the country to 60, including the 45 cases among Americans repatriated from Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the outbreak — and the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which was overwhelmed by the virus after it docked in Japan.

The potential transmission in the new case is a source of concern.

Coronavirus pushes across Europe and Middle East.

New coronavirus clusters across Europe and the Middle East. More infections in Iran stoking fears about an uncontrolled spread. Global market jitters. A toxic political climate in Washington complicating the public health challenge.

That worrying drumbeat frayed nerves across the world on Wednesday even as the pace of the outbreak seemed to be slowing in China, where most cases have been.

For the first time, more new cases were reported outside China than inside, according to the World Health Organization. Chinese officials on Tuesday reported 411 new infections; in the rest of the world, the number was 427. The total number of case globally has top now 81000 and nearly have died 3000.

In the European Union, new cases were recorded in Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece and Spain. Most were tied to Italy, where the authorities have been struggling to contain an outbreak that has infected at least 400 people, most of them in the north near Milan. 

Hotels in Austria, France and the Canary Islands of Spain were locked down this week after guests tested positive for the virus or were suspected of having it.

As the American health authorities braced for an outbreak in the United States, the Trump administration came under criticism from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers for contradictory statements on the severity of the crisis, a lack of transparency and seemingly lax preparations.

South Korea and U.S. call off joint military exercises.

The fast-growing coronavirus outbreak forced South Korea and the United States on Thursday to postpone “until further notice” their joint spring military exercise, originally scheduled to take place next month.

The decision came as South Korea reported 334 new cases of the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total number there to 1,595, the largest outbreak outside of China. Nearly 84 percent of the patients were from Daegu, a city in southeast South Korea, and in nearby towns.

South Korea has placed itself on the highest possible alert to deal with the outbreak, suspending nonessential military training and placing more than 9,500 troops under quarantine. It has also banned most of its enlisted soldiers from taking a leave.

Saudis halt religious visits to Mecca and Medina.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday temporarily barred Muslim pilgrims from entering the country to visit the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as it tries to slow the spread of the coronavirus, a stark illustration of the fear the epidemic has stirred.

The Saudi royal family derives much of its stature in the Islamic world from its status as guardians of the holy sites, and it very rarely closes them off. The Saudi response contrasts with that of Iran, which has kept its pilgrimage sites open, despite a significant coronavirus outbreak there, and evidence that people who visited Iran have spread the virus to many other countries.

Each year, millions of Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca, or Umrah, which can take place at any time of year; the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are expected to make at least once, takes place in a specific part of the lunar year, which this year falls in midsummer.

Many Muslims also visit the mosque in Medina that was established by the Prophet Mohammed.

Brazil Confirms Corona virus Infection, The first Latin America  

Brazil’s health ministry said on Wednesday that a 61-year-old man who had recently traveled to São Paulo from Italy had contracted the coronavirus.

The first known case in Latin America, it comes as Brazil is in the midst of Carnival, a hugely popular festival that draws large crowds into close quarters for raucous street celebrations.

The patient, who lives in São Paulo, had recently traveled for work to northern Italy, where an outbreak has infected at least 325 people. He sought medical help after experiencing a fever, cough and sore throat, according to health officials.

Iran downplays outbreak spreading quickly there and in neighboring countries.

Iran’s leaders continued to downplay the seriousness of the outbreak there on Wednesday, even as the number of cases in Iran or linked to it kept climbing quickly.

The health ministry reported 139 cases and 19 deaths, up from 95 and 15 on Tuesday, and the government ordered a weeklong closure of schools and cultural sites in 10 provinces. Experts say Iran’s high apparent death rate suggests that it has far more infections than it has discovered or acknowledged.

But President Hassan Rouhani said the virus was coming under control, and he predicted a return to normalcy by Saturday, Iranian state media reported. He added that Iran’s enemies were using the epidemic to further isolate the country.

Pakistan’s health minister, Dr. Zafar Mirza, on Wednesday confirmed the first two cases of the coronavirus in that country, and said that one of them was a 22-year-old student who had recently returned from Iran. Pakistan closed its border with Iran on Sunday.

Georgia reported its first case on Wednesday, also a traveler returning from Iran, who had entered the country through Azerbaijan.

If the coronavirus appears in your community, what can you do to protect yourself and your family?

Much of the advice from experts involves common sense, not very different from what you would do to dodge the flu or any other respiratory virus.

Because Americans often disregard colds and flus, continuing about their ordinary business, there are people with symptoms in public places. Without apology, you should put distance between you and them. Six feet would be good, but even a little distancing is helpful.

During the SARS epidemic — also caused by a coronavirus, but one that was much deadlier — hand-washing reduced the risk of transmission by 30 to 50 percent, she said.

If it is not feasible to wash your hands with water, you can use a hand sanitizer, but check the label to be sure it contains at least 60 percent alcohol.

The trademark of coronavirus outbreaks abroad is those ubiquitous face masks. But if you are healthy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and infectious disease specialists do not recommend face masks. Most surgical masks are too loose to prevent inhalation of the virus.

Germany’s health minister says source of some new infections cannot be traced.

Germany’s health minister, Jens Spahn, said Wednesday that new cases were confirmed in the country that cannot be traced to the virus’s original source in China.

This raised the troubling possibility that the virus might have been transmitted within the country itself.

The disease is moving to a new phase in Germany, Mr. Spahn said at a news conference. “The infection chains are partially no longer trackable,” he said.

About 20 cases of the coronavirus have been identified in the country, he said, but until now health officials had been able to trace those who became infected back to the virus’s origins in central China or to hot spots in Italy.

The authorities in Germany’s most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, were trying on Wednesday to retrace the steps of a couple who contracted the coronavirus from a source they could not immediately identify.

The couple had spent the previous two weeks — the estimated incubation period for the virus — “taking part in normal, public life,” said Karl-Josef Laumann, the state health minister.

That included attending a large carnival party and taking a brief trip to the Netherlands, he said. Dutch authorities and the hotel where the couple stayed have been informed.

As global markets continue to slide, Wall Street shows some signs of stabilizing.

Nervousness about the spread of the coronavirus gripped Wall Street again on Wednesday, with an early rise in stock prices giving way to a third day of selling. The S & P 500 was down 0.4 percent at the end of trading, bringing its losses for the week to more than 6 percent.

The day began with the S & P 500 increasing by more than 1.5 percent before giving up those gains. Market observers attributed the change in sentiment to comments from Germany’s health minister that the outbreak had entered a more serious phase, because the coronavirus had been transmitted there.

Bonds rallied, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note to a record low for a second day. The price of oil also fell.

Major markets around the world continued to drop, with investors reacting to reports of the coronavirus spreading across the globe. European markets fell more by than 1 percent on Wednesday, and Asian markets ended the trading day lower.

A potential casualty of the virus is Europe’s open borders.

The coronavirus epidemic poses a new and serious threat to Europe’s already diminished system of free movement across borders.

For generations, Europe Union leaders have pursued — and, to a great degree, realized — a vision of a continent where not only would trade be seamless, so would travel.

Eventually, 26 European countries — including four that are not in the bloc — signed on, allowing people to travel from country to country in what is known as the Schengen area without showing passports, or even being stopped at border crossings.

But the idea has never been universally loved; right-wing and nationalist politicians in particular have opposed it. Ireland joined the European Union in 1973, but has never joined Schengen; neither did Britain, a member of the bloc for 47 years until it left in January.

Opposition to free movement surged with the migrant crisis of 2015. Many countries erected what were supposed to be temporary border controls, but five years later, some are still in place.

As coronavirus outbreaks grow and multiply, calls for closing borders have grown louder. So far no country has taken that drastic step, but privately European officials have warned that could change quickly.

On Wednesday, the European Union’s top official for communicable diseases said that Europe needed to prepare more broadly for the kind of crisis that has hit northern Italy.