Man tests positive for coronavirus in San Francisco Bay Area, bringing number of US cases to 7

A man has tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus in the San Francisco Bay Area, bringing the number of U.S. confirmed cases of the virus to seven as three major U.S. airlines announced they would halt air travel to mainland China in an effort to stop the spread.

What are the details?

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Friday that a Santa Clara County man tested positive for the virus in the third case to hit the state of California. Business Insider reported that the man had recently traveled from Wuhan and Shanghai, and arrived back in the U.S. at the San Jose International Airport one week ago.

Since his return on Jan. 24, officials said, the man left his home twice to seek medical care, but has not been hospitalized and is being treated in his home. Santa Clara County health officer Dr. Sara Cody said during a press conference Friday that the man had come into contact with "very few individuals" since arriving back from China.

"We do not have evidence to suggest that the novel coronavirus is circulating in the Bay Area, in Santa Clara Country, or really in Northern California," Cody told reporters. "Our assessment is that the public at large is still at low risk, because this case was careful to self-isolate at home for the entire time since he returned from China."

The announcement of the most recent confirmed coronavirus case comes as 195 people remain quarantined in Riverside County in southern California, after being part of a flight evacuated from China earlier this week. The mandatory quarantine is the first issued by the CDC in over 50 years.

Anything else?

Also on Friday, three major commercial U.S. airlines announced the suspension of flights to mainland China, where the outbreak began in December and has grown into a major health situation in the country.

UPI reported that American Airlines announced it was canceling all its flights to China immediately, Delta Airlines announced it was canceling flights starting next week, and United Airlines will suspend flights to mainland China beginning Thursday but will continue to operate its daily flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong.