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March 2 (Reuters) - Authorities across the United States on
Monday prepared for more cases of illness caused by the new
coronavirus after a second fatality over the weekend, with the
emphasis on ratcheting up the number of available test kits.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, whose state has one
confirmed case, welcomed the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) allowing New York to test for the virus
that has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide since it
emerged in China in December.
"I would like to have a goal of 1,000 tests per day capacity
within one week because again the more testing the better,"
Cuomo said at a briefing on Monday.
Federal government health officials have said the number of
test kits for coronavirus would be radically expanded in coming
weeks. The United States appeared poised for a spike in cases,
partly because there would be more testing to confirm
infections.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that his
administration has asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate
work on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, but provided
no details.
Top U.S. health officials have said any vaccine is up to 18
months away and there is no treatment for the respiratory
disease, although patients can receive supportive care.
Trump and his task force on the outbreak will meet with drug
company executives on Monday. Executives from GlaxoSmithKline
Kline Plc, Sanofi SA, Johnson & Johnson
and Pfizer Inc will attend the meeting,
according to representatives for the companies.
The meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. (2000 GMT) and Vice
President Mike Pence will have a public briefing on the virus
response at 5 p.m. (2200 GMT).
The White House is also expected to meet this week with top
executives from U.S. airlines and the cruise industry over the
impact of the virus to their businesses, two people briefed on
the matter said.
The number of coronavirus cases in the United States has
ticked up in recent days, with more than 75 confirmed cases
including two reported deaths, both in Washington state where a
cluster of cases is centered on a nursing home near Seattle.
There have been more than 87,000 cases globally and nearly
3,000 deaths in 60 countries, according to the World Health
Organization. The global death toll was up to 3,044, according
to a Reuters tally.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the head of the infectious diseases unit
at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, said he was concerned
the number of U.S. cases could jump in coming weeks.
"When you have a number of cases that you've identified and
they've been in the community for a while, you're going to wind
up seeing a lot more cases than you would have predicted," he
told CNN in an interview on Monday.
Public health officials have urged common sense steps to
prevent contracting and spreading the virus, such as frequent
hand-washing and staying home when sick.
Trump administration officials over the weekend sought to
soothe nerves and calm fears that a global recession was looming
because the coronavirus had disrupted the economies of China and
other countries. Italy and South Korea are among the countries
hardest hit by coronavirus.
World stock markets, after a week-long slide, on Monday
regained a measure of calm amid hope of a possible stimulus,
while U.S. stocks also opened higher.
"There’ll be more cases, but we're working very closely with
state and local health officials," Pence told Fox Business News.
He added that the administration was adding resources and would
work with Congress, which is expected to take up a spending
measure in coming days that could allocate billions more dollars
for the virus response.
(Reporting by Steve Holland, David Shepardson, Susan Heavey,
Lisa lambert, Makini Brice and David Morgan in Washington,
Michael Erman and Caroline Humer in New York; Writing by Grant
McCool; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
