2nd case of coronavirus confirmed in Bay Area, marking 9th case in US

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California health officials on Sunday confirmed the second case of the novel coronavirus in the Bay Area, marking the ninth confirmed case in the U.S.

Officials say the new case is not related to the one declared Friday, in which a Santa Clara County resident tested positive for the virus. The patient is a man who recently traveled to Wuhan, China -- the epicenter of the outbreak -- and entered the U.S. on Jan. 24.

A masked shopper walks in the Chinatown district of San Francisco on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020.  (AP)

The new patient is a woman from China who arrived in California on Jan. 23 to spend time with her family, Dr. Sara Cody, a health officer with the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department, said during a news conference.

The woman has stayed home since her arrival, leaving only twice to seek outpatient medical care, Cody said, adding that she is being regularly monitored and was not sick enough to be hospitalized.

The woman’s family, meanwhile, remains isolated and hasn’t left their home, the health department said in a statement.

“I understand that people are concerned, but based on what we know today, the risk to the general public remains low,” Cody said. “A second case is not unexpected. With our large population and the amount of travel to China for both personal and business reasons, we will likely see more cases, including close contacts to our cases.”

The woman’s case marks the ninth overall confirmed in the United States. As of Sunday, there have been two others in California, one in Arizona, one in Washington state, one in Massachusetts and two in Illinois.

Later Sunday, health officials in New York City said two patients are suspected of having the coronavirus, The New York Times reported. The patients are a woman in her 40s and a man in his 60s who had recently been in China. Both had come down with flulike symptoms and have been tested for influenza and other common illnesses associated with the virus, The Times reported.

The viral outbreak, which began in China in December, has infected more than 14,550 people globally, with mainland China reporting 99 percent of the cases. The death toll in China, meanwhile, has climbed to more than 300.

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The first death from the virus outside the country was recorded Sunday in the Philippines. The country’s health department said a 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan was hospitalized last week with a fever, cough and sore throat, and died after developing severe pneumonia.

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The number of cases from the novel coronavirus has surpassed levels seen during the 2002-2003 SARS outbreak that erupted in southern China. The SARS virus infected more than 8,000 people and killed 774 before disappearing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.