The Coronavirus or Covid 19 outbreak is now on every continent except Antarctica.
It originated in Wuhan, China and is, as of this date, in 47 countries. There are 60 known cases in the US, most of them Americans that were on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
The Diamond Princess, an American cruise ship, has been quarantined in Japan for weeks. Hundreds of passengers have come down with the virus and 4 have died. A southern California town has banned passengers from the stricken cruise ship.
The financial markets are being roiled by the spread of the Coronavirus, both here and abroad. The US market has plummeted lower for six straight trading days with a record-setting 1200 point drop, today.
Coronavirus spreading in California
A new case of the virus has been identified in Northern California in a woman from Vacaville, California, just a few minutes away from Travis Air Force Base, where hundreds of Americans that have returned from China have been quarantined.
The case is being considered as the first “community spread” of the virus. The patient entered the hospital system and was not immediately tested for the virus as she did not meet the limited criteria of visiting China or being exposed to a traveler from China.
The patient was finally tested after days of being in the hospital and then transferred to UC Davis Medical.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said that 33 people have tested positive for the virus in California and 8,400 people are being monitored.
Coronavirus affects US medical supply chain
Supply chains dependent on Chinese goods are being affected and there is concern that the US, the most prepared of all countries for a viral outbreak, is still not prepared enough. US dependence on China for many of our medical supplies, pharmaceutical ingredients, medications and vaccines is under scrutiny.
Senator Josh Hawley is sponsoring a bill to bring the manufacturing of US pharmaceuticals back home. Currently, 70% of the ingredients for our pharmaceuticals are made in China and India. Hawley stated:
The coronavirus outbreak in China has highlighted severe and longstanding weaknesses in our medical supply chain. This is more than unfortunate; it’s a danger to public health. Our health officials need to know the extent of our reliance on Chinese production so they can take all necessary action to protect Americans.
Watch Hawley discuss the outbreak and our pharmaceutical supply chain.
