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Thursday, 28 March 2024

U.S. coronavirus cases top 1K, official warns will 'get worse'

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U.S. coronavirus cases top 1K, official warns will 'get worse'
U.S. coronavirus cases top 1K, official warns will 'get worse'

Dr. Anthony Fauci of the U.S. National Institutes of Health told Congress "we will see more cases" of coronavirus as governors across the nation warned stronger measures may be needed to contain the epidemic.

This report produced by Zachary Goelman.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT THE U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ANTHONY FAUCI, SAYING: "We will see more cases, and things will get worse than they are right now." That was the stark assessment from a top U.S. health official on Wednesday about the coronavirus epidemic spreading across the country on Wednesday.

Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health testified before a Congressional panel as number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. crossed 1,000.

That's according to Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking the outbreak.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) HEAD OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES AT THE U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ANTHONY FAUCI, SAYING: "Bottom line, it's going to get worse." So far the illness has killed 29 people in the U.S. On Tuesday, New Jersey's lieutenant governor said the state saw its first fatality, a 69-year-old man who was hospitalized last week.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW JERSEY LT.

GOV.

SHEILA OLIVER, SAYING: "We are sad to report that one of these newly reported patients has passed away." In neighboring New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo said the national guard would deploy this week to deliver food and support a 1-mile containment zone around the town of New Rochelle, which Cuomo called a "hot spot" for the coronavirus.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO, SAYING: "Schools within that area will be closed for two weeks.

We'll go in, we'll clean the schools and assess the situation.

[flash] This will be a period of disruption for that community." Parents are scrambling.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) TAHANI OLIVER BATISTA, SAYING: "I don't know what I'm gonna do with my kids for two weeks." The hardest-hit region of the U.S. is Washington State, which as of Wednesday had seen 23 deaths from the virus.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) WASHINGTON STATE GOVERNOR JAY INSLEE, SAYING: "In seven or eight weeks there could be 64,000 people infected in the state of Washington if we don't somehow slow down this epidemic." Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced new rules for nursing homes and said the state would expand unemployment benefits for those unable to work.

Most of Washington's cases center around one elder-care facility, where nineteen residents have died.

The elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are among the most vulnerable to the disease.

Two other Washington nursing homes reported cases on Tuesday.

The CEO of Josephine Caring Centers said it was now on lockdown.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSEPHINE CARING CENTERS CEO TERRY ROBERTSON, SAYING: "No visitors, no consultants, and no families.

And I can tell you that's incredibly tough for families.

You know, I had a lady in my lobby crying yesterday because she couldn't see her husband who she's been married to for 64 years." More than 116,000 people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide since it surfaced in China late last year, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 4,000 people have died.

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