US confirms 12 new coronavirus cases, total reaches 447

US has confirmed 12 new cases of coronavirus taking the nationwide tally to 447 on March 8. According to the reports, the rapidly spreading virus has killed 19 people and affected more than 30 states and the District of Columbia, turning it into a health crisis. The health officials reportedly announced the first case of coronavirus in the US on January 20. The patient was identified from Washington state and had returned from Wuhan,  China where the outbreak started. Coronavirus epidemic claimed two more lives in Washington state taking the nationwide death toll 19 and the number of confirmed cases only in New York rose to 89 on March 7.

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New York declares state emergency

In the wake of the rising number of COVID-19 cases, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency in the state. State of emergency declaration allows expedited procurement of cleaning supplies, hand sanitizer, and other essential resources. It also allows expedited personnel onboarding, procurement of testing supplies and equipment, and qualified professionals other than doctors and nurses to conduct testing. Cuomo said in a statement that the state of emergency declaration gives the administration certain powers to help local health departments that are very stressed. He added that they are also cracking down on price gouging and warned businesses of cancelling their license saying they are “very serious” about it.

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Coronavirus poses ‘low’ risk to Americans: Trump

US President Donald Trump on March 6 reportedly said that the coronavirus poses ‘low’ risk to Americans adding that the virus was under control in the country. Trump who visited the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday said that the overall risk from COVID-19 to American people remained low. The US President while referring to infections and deaths in other affected nations like China, South Korea, and Italy said that the virus was under control in the United States. He added that people should look at other countries that have so ‘many’ cases with numbers increasing every day. 

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