New coronavirus case escalates U.S. response

Public health officials were retracing the steps of a Northern California woman on Thursday thought to be the first person in the U.S. to contract the highly contagious coronavirus without traveling internationally or being in close connection with anyone who had it.

The diagnosis, confirmed Wednesday, marks an escalation of the worldwide outbreak in the U.S. because it means the virus could now spread beyond the reach of quarantines and other precautionary measures. But state health officials were quick to reassure the general public on Thursday that such a scenario was inevitable and the risk of widespread transmission remained low.

Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas said public health officials have recognized dozens of individuals - but less than 100 - who had close connection with the woman. Those people are quarantined within their homes. A few have proven symptoms and are in isolation, Matyas said.

The case raised questions about how exactly quickly public health officials are moving to diagnose and treat new cases. State and federal health officials disagreed about when doctors first requested the girl be tested.

Doctors at the UC Davis INFIRMARY said they asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to check the woman for the virus on Feb. 19. But they said the CDC didn't approve the testing until Sunday “because the patient didn't fit the prevailing CDC criteria” for the virus, according to a memo posted to the hospital’s website.

CDC spokesman Richard Quartarone said an initial overview of agency records indicates the agency didn't know about the girl until Sunday, the same day the girl was first tested.

Quartarone said the agency can be involved about reports of delayed testing and is “investigating this carefully.” He said the CDC can test about 400 specimens each day.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state was limited in just how many people it might test because it only had 200 testing kits. But he said federal officials have promised to send many more in the coming days.

“I’m not likely to politicize this moment. And I’m not likely to point fingers,” Newsom said. “We've had a very strong working relationship with the [Trump] administration.”

Investigators were centered on tracing the woman’s movements to determine how she got the virus and who else she may have unwittingly infected. The woman first sought treatment at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville, a city of more than 100,000 persons about 95 kilometers from SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.