Coronavirus US news: Trump speaks publicly as 700 people in New York under voluntary quarantine amid LA outbreak fears after flight attendant confirmed with virus
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Reports of a female flight attendant diagnosed with coronavirus having repeatedly travelling through Los Angeles International airport is sparking fears of an outbreak in the region, as officials confirm 59 cases of the mysterious illness.
The unidentified flight attendant reportedly serviced a flight from Tel Aviv to Seoul on 15 February, and had travelled through the LAX airport on multiple occaisions before receiving the diagnosis. A majority of cases in the US (39) are among Americans evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Tokyo. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that while the immediate risk of coronavirus to American citizens is low, the global situation suggested a pandemic is now likely.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump is once again attacking the “fake news” media on Twitter over its coverage of the Wuhan coronavirus, a day after US health officials warned the deadly virus would inevitably spread across the country. The president suggested in a series of tweets that the latest developments surrounding the outbreak outbreak were simply the result of news outlets “dong everything possible to make the Coronavirus look as bad as possible, including panicking markets, if possible”. The White House has since scheduled a public statement about the virus for 6:00pm EST.
Follow live updates below:
The Independent's Sarah Young has all the information you need to know about self-isolation amid the coronavirus outbreak:
Self-isolation is about protecting others and stopping the spread of infectious diseases such as coronavirus.
Anyone who has been told to self-isolate, should stay indoors and avoid contact with other people to prevent them from spreading the disease to family, friends and the wider community.
As fears grow of a global pandemic over the deadly coronavirus, a new report looks at some of the more …unconventional strategies to protect children and family members from the mysterious illness.
Business Insider collected various advertisements on the web surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus, from lab coats and gas masks to infant masks that feature internal feeding bottles.
The US State Department just issued a new warning for travellers headed to Italy to exercise "increased caution", while stopping short of urging Americans to cancel travel plans to the country amid an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus in the region:
Folks are alarmed over reports that the coronavirus may also cause an apparent worldwide shortage of Coca-Cola products, with some Twitter users quipping about running to their local stores to buy up the soda before it runs out:
The Independent's Phil Thomas has more on the Democratic House Speaker's reaction to Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus as it spreads around the world:
The Democratic House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has called Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus "shameful" and "anaemic".
The administration's response has already been criticised by politicians from both sides of the aisle, although the president has insisted his officials are doing a "great job" and blamed the Democrats and the media for "panicking the markets".
Mr Trump has requested $2.5bn to deal with the threat of the deadly virus, which would go towards developing a vaccine and stockpiling protective gear like face masks. However, the Democrats say it will cost at least $8.5bn to protect Americans from the deadly virus.
The president has also faced criticism for proposing to take $535m out of a budget to fight ebola.
The Independent's economics editor Ben Chu also has more on why the spread of the deadly Wuhan coronavirus has already been so disruptive to the global stock market:
A female flight attendant who repeatedly visited Los Angeles International airport has been diagnosed with the Wuhan coronavirus, according to South Korea’s Centre for Disease Control.
The agency said that the flight attendant had serviced a flight heading from Tel Aviv to Seoul on 15 February, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Meanwhile, a church group that was aboard the flight following a pilgrimage to Israel has been linked to 30 cases of infections.
Iran has accused the US of spreading “propaganda” about the coronavirus.
President Hassan Rouhani said the disease, which has killed 19 and infected scores more according to official figures, should not become an “enemy weapon” that disrupts businesses.
“Corona should not become the weapon of our enemies. Americans and enemies have, for two years, with their boycott and propaganda, sought to economic despair in this country and make people suffer,” Mr Rouhani said.
Officials are calling on Donald Trump to adopt a new approach in combatting the spread of the coronavirus outbreak, as the president says the US has the mysterious illness under control:
The Independent's Reis Thebault has more on how to cope with the worrying coronavirus outbreak as it continues to spread around the world:
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