March 8, 2020 coronavirus news | CNN

March 8 coronavirus news

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Arizona congressman self-quarantines after coming in contact with coronavirus patient at CPAC

Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar said Sunday he is self-quarantining after he was informed that he and members of his staff had been in extended contact with the person at the Conservative Political Action Conference who later tested positive for the coronavirus.

Gosar said he was with the individual for “an extended period of time” and the two of them shook hands several times. Gosar said he has been in contact with the House physician.

He said he is closing his Washington office for this week “out of an abundance of caution.”

Four new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus identified in Georgia

Four new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus have been identified in Georgia, according to a press release from the state Department of Public Health.

The new cases are in three counties and bring the state’s total cases to 11.

One of the new cases is in Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, and another is in the Atlanta suburb of Cherokee County, the release said.

Two cases are in suburban Cobb County, but they have no connection to each other, according to the release.

All four people are hospitalized, and the sources of their infection are unknown, the release said.

Major tennis tournament in California canceled due to coronavirus concerns

The 2020 BNP Paribas Open, a major tennis tournament that would’ve brought thousands of people to Southern California, was canceled Sunday over coronavirus concerns, according to a tweet from the tournament and the tournament’s website.

The tournament was scheduled to start Monday and last through March 22. Dr. David Agus, a University of Southern California professor of medicine and biomedical engineering, said holding the tournament wasn’t in “the public interest of fans, players and neighboring areas for this tournament to proceed.”

“We all have to join together to protect the community from the coronavirus outbreak,” Agus said.

Tournament director Tommy Haas said organizers are prepared to hold the tournament on another date and “will explore options.”

New presumptive positive case of coronavirus identified in Harris County, Texas

A new presumptive positive case of coronavirus has been identified in Harris County, Texas, according to a press release from Harris County Public Health.

The individual is a woman between the age of 60 and 70 from northwest Harris County, outside Houston, the release said. The new patient is associated with the M.S. A’sara cruise traveling to and from Aswan, Egypt, the release said.

The woman is stable, in quarantine and continuously being monitored by health officials, the release said. There have been at least five other cases identified in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston.

This is the 12th case in the state of Texas.

Shasta County, California, confirms its first case of coronavirus

Shasta County, California, has confirmed its first presumptive positive case of coronavirus, the county’s health and human services agency announced in a press release Sunday.

The patient is a man in his 50s who is recovering in isolation at home, the release said.

He had a history of recent travel and public health staff are working to identify anyone who may have been in close contact with the patient, the release said.

Shasta County is about 200 miles north of Sacramento.

This case brings California’s total to 89 confirmed cases.

Saudi Arabia temporarily suspends air and naval trips with several countries to contain coronavirus

Saudi Arabia announced Sunday it is temporarily suspending flights and naval travel to and from several countries in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus, according to the state-run Saudi Press Agency, citing a Saudi Interior Ministry statement. 

The countries included on the suspension include:

  • United Arab Emirates
  • Kuwait
  • Bahrain
  • Lebanon
  • Syria
  • South Korea
  • Egypt
  • Italy
  • Iraq

Saudi Arabia also decided to temporarily suspend “the entry of those coming from those countries, or the entry of those who were there during the 14 days prior to his arrival.” SPA said in its report.

Regal Princess will dock at Port Everglades, Florida

The Regal Princess will dock at 10 p.m. ET at Port Everglades, according to a tweet from Port Everglades.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cleared the ship to dock, the tweet said.

Princess Cruises canceled a new sailing of the Regal Princess Sunday after the disembarkation was delayed due to coronavirus testing on two crew members.

The no sail order by Department of Health and Human Resources and the CDC has been lifted, the US Coast Guard told CNN in an emailed statement.

Father of woman diagnosed with coronavirus attended school function against orders of health officials to isolate, official says

The father of a woman with a presumptive positive case of coronavirus attended a school function with another child Saturday against the orders of health officials to isolate, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page said during a Sunday press conference.

The presumptive positive case in St. Louis County was identified as a woman in her 20s who had recently returned from Italy, a press release issued Saturday said. The only reported case in the state, the woman had fever and respiratory issues, Gov. Mike Parson said.

The woman’s father and other family members had been in daily contact multiple times a day since March 5 and knew they were supposed to isolate at home, Page said.

Health officials have since spoken to the father and told him he needs to stay home. They will obtain a court order for quarantine if necessary, Page said.

Page did not know how many people attended the school function or what the possibility for exposure was. The father and other members of the family are not exhibiting symptoms, he said.

Two family members of previous coronavirus case in Nebraska have tested presumptive positive, raising state's total to 3

Two new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus have been identified in Nebraska, according to a press release from the state Department of Health and Human Services. The new cases bring the state total to three.

Both new cases are family members of the first case, a woman in her 30s in Douglas County who recently returned from England.

The two new cases are experiencing mild symptoms. They are also Douglas County residents and have been in self-quarantine since Friday, the release said.

The woman continues to be treated at the Biocontainment Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, the release said.

Health officials are working to identify any additional people who were in close contact with the initial patient.

China reports 40 new coronavirus cases and 22 deaths

Forty new cases of coronavirus and 22 deaths were reported in mainland China on Sunday, according to China’s National Health Commission.

The death toll across mainland China stands at 3,119 with 3,007 deaths in Hubei province. The total number of confirmed cases in mainland China rose to 80,735.

Of the 40 cases on Sunday, 36 are in Wuhan. The other four cases outside Hubei are imported cases from people coming overseas. Hubei province had 21 of the 22 reported deaths on Sunday.

The NHC added that 58,600 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals.

Marine Corps Base Quantico status 'Code Yellow' after coronavirus case

Marine Corps Base Quantico will operate under a “Code Yellow” status beginning Monday, according to a tweet from the base’s official Twitter account, after a Marine on the base tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Code Yellow status authorizes unscheduled leave while “mission essential” personnel are expected to report to work.

The tweet indicated schools on the base will be closed for cleaning until March 11. Additionally, the tweet indicated the sick Marine is improving in the hospital.

“Risk exposure to the virus remains low,” the base’s statement read.

There are now 550 coronavirus cases in the US

There are 550 cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States, according to the state and local health agencies, governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are 49 cases of repatriated citizens, including three from Wuhan China, 46 from the Diamond Princess cruise ship and 21 on the Grand Princess cruise ship.

There are 480 cases in 34 states and the District of Columbia, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 550, according to CNN Health’s tally of US cases that are detected and tested in the United States through public health systems.

A total of 21 people have died from the coronavirus in the US.

Grand Princess approves program for passengers to get fresh air and sunlight 

A program to rotate guests to get some fresh air and sunlight on the Grand Princess cruise ship has been approved, Capt. John Harry Smith said in an announcement today.

They will prioritize passengers who are staying in the inside staterooms first, he added.

The first 405 medical prescriptions for passengers have been delivered and the next batch are being processed according to priority, the captain said.

“One guest was disembarked for medical reasons this morning on the boat that brought the medicine to the ship,” Smith said.

Qatar temporarily suspends entry from 14 additional countries over coronavirus

Qatar announced Sunday it is temporarily suspending entry from 14 countries in addition to Italy in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus , according to a statement from the Qatar Government Communications Office.

The following countries were included on the temporary suspension:

  • Bangladesh
  • China
  • Egypt
  • India
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Lebanon
  • Nepal
  • Pakistan
  • Philippines
  • South Korea
  • Sri Lanka
  • Syria
  • Thailand

Vietnam confirms nine new coronavirus cases

Vietnam confirmed nine additional cases of novel coronavirus on Sunday, totaling 30 in the country, according to a government statement.

All new cases were on the same flight of Viet Nam Airlines with a previously confirmed patient who flew from the United Kingdom to Vietnam on March 2.

They are all foreign nationals – seven from England, one from Mexico and one from Iceland aged between 58 and 74.

Second presumptive positive case of coronavirus identified in Minnesota is travel related

The second presumptive positive case of coronavirus has been identified in Minnesota, according to a press release from the state Department of Health.

The case is a resident of Carver County in their 50s who was likely exposed to the virus while traveling in Europe in late February, the release said.

The patient developed symptoms on March 2 and sought health care Saturday, according to the release. The patient is in isolation at home and is recovering, the release said.

Health officials are working to identify and contact anyone who was in contact with the patient. Anyone identified will be asked to quarantine for 14 days, according to the release.

Malaysia reports six new coronavirus cases

Malaysia confirmed six new coronavirus cases on Sunday, raising the nationwide tally to 99, according to a report from state media Bernama.

All new cases are the close contacts of a cluster linked to a previous case.

Out of the 99 cases, 24 are fully recovered and discharged from the hospital.

The first three presumptive positive cases coronavirus reported in Iowa

Iowa has identified three presumptive positive cases of coronavirus, the first cases in the state, according to the state Department of Public Health.

The three patients are all residents of Johnson County who were on a cruise in Egypt, the department said in a press release on Sunday.

The group was on the cruise between February 17 and March 2. They returned to the US on March 3, state public health director Gerd Clabaugh said during a press conference.

One of the patients is between the ages of 41 and 60, and the two others are between the ages of 61 and 80, the release said.

Two patients have underlying health conditions, but none of them required hospitalization, according to the release.

A total of 37 people have undergone testing in Iowa for the virus. Of those 37, three were positive, 26 were negative and eight tests are still pending, according to Clabaugh.

Pelosi and Schumer urge Trump to include paid sick leave and other provisions in any proposal to confront coronavirus impact

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged President Donald Trump to include several provisions – including paid sick leave and enhanced unemployment insurance – in any possible proposal by the administration to stem the harmful economic consequences of the coronavirus and provide stimulus.

The economic provisions they are asking for include paid sick leave, enhanced unemployment insurance and enhanced food aid such as more money for food stamps and school lunch programs.

“The administration must move more quickly and seriously to address the severe impacts of the coronavirus on the financial security of America’s families,” they said in the statement.

CNN has asked the White House for comment regarding the Democrats’ proposals.

The administration has not said what it may include in any proposal aimed at reducing the economic impact.