Worldwide, more than 70,000 cases of the new coronavirus have been reported and more than 1,700 people — the vast majority of them in mainland China — have died of COVID-19.

The Diamond Princess Cruise Ship has been under Japan-ordered quarantine since Feb. 5, after a passenger who had disembarked earlier tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong. Fourteen U.S. passengers were evacuated from the cruise ship in Japan and flown to military bases in California and Texas have tested positive for the new coronavirus, U.S. officials confirm. An additional 44 Americans from the Diamond Princess ship who tested positive for coronavirus will stay in Japan while they recover. Some have been hospitalized, but not all who are infected are sick.

Doctors in five U.S. cities will begin testing patients with flu-like symptoms for the new coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The coronavirus test will only be given to patients who test negative for the flu. So far, the testing protocol will be implemented in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, though more cities will be added. Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases said the increased testing is part of an effort to determine whether the virus is spreading in communities across the U.S. “The results would be an early warning signal to trigger a change in our response strategy,” she said.

We have experienced an enormous increase in demand for masks, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, gowns and many other infection control products as health facilities and laboratories attempt to prepare for further impact of this virus. Currently, masks are the primary product impacted. We are not taking orders for masks unless product is readily available. Your orders remain non-cancellable and non-returnable for all impacted product categories. We are working with our manufacturing partners to secure product for you.

Product categories include: N95 masks, regular earloop masks, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, thermometers, isolation gowns, gloves and other infection control categories.

We will keep you posted on changes in product availability.

Sources:

• https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/02/17/806634515/14-americans-taken-off-cruise-ship-and-flown-to-u-s-test-positive-for-coronaviru
• https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/41706832/5-us-cities-to-start-testing-patients-with-flulike-symptoms-for-coronavirus