PUBLISHED MON, MAR 9 2020 Dawn Kopecki@DAWN_KOPECKI
Noah Higgins-Dunn@HIGGINSDUNN
Hannah Miller
KEY POINTS
·
The CDC is expanding
its guidance for people at extreme risk of serious illness, like those over 60
or with underlying health conditions.
·
Those over the age of
60 should start stocking up on enough groceries and medications to have on
hand, the CDC said.
·
Those at greatest risk
of serious illness should stay home as much as possible if COVID-19 comes to
their community, the CDC said.
Many Americans will be exposed to COVID-19 over
the next year or so with many people in the U.S. getting sick, a top CDC
official said Monday, recommending that people over 60 and anyone with chronic
medical conditions buckle down for a lengthy stay home.
“This virus is capable of spreading easily and
sustainably from person to person ... and there’s essentially no immunity
against this virus in the population,” Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of
the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told
reporters on a conference call, citing World Health Organization data that
studied more than 70,000 cases in China.
“It’s fair to say that, as the trajectory of the
outbreak continues, many people in the United States will at some point in time,
either this year or next, be exposed to this virus and there’s a good chance
many will become sick,” she said. Most people won’t develop serious symptoms,
but 15% to 20% of the people who are exposed to the virus get severely sick,
she said.
Of the 70,000 cases WHO scientists looked at,
only about 2% were in people younger than 19. The odds of developing COVID-19
increase with age, starting at age 60. It’s especially lethal for people over
80.
“This seems to be a disease that affects adults
and most seriously older adults,” she said. “Starting at age 60, there is
an increasing risk of disease and the risk increases with age.”
People with diabetes, heart disease, lung
disease and other serious underlying conditions are more likely to develop
“serious outcomes, including death,” she said.
The CDC is recommending people with underlying
conditions or who are over 60 to stock up on medications, household items and
groceries to stay at home “for a period of time,” she said. The U.S. government
recommended travelers with underlying health conditions avoid taking any
cruises anywhere in the world. “We also recommend people at higher risk avoid
non-essential travel, such as long plane trips,” she said.
The CDC is recommending that people at higher
risk avoid crowds, touching “high-touch” surfaces in public areas and close
contact with people who are sick.
“These are the kind of recommendations that I’ve
made to my parents ... other staff at CDC are doing the same,” she said.
While the virus is slowing in China where it
originated in December, it’s picking up pace across other parts of the world.
Italy has the most cases outside of China with more than 9,100 infections,
followed by Korea and Iran, which each had more than 7,100 COVID-19 cases as of
Monday afternoon, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
In the U.S., cases erupted over the last week to
more than 600 infected and 22 killed, according to John Hopkins
University. Almost half of the more than 600 cases in the U.S. are in
Washington state and California, with 19 deaths across the U.S., California,
Washington and New York, although the virus has now spread to more than 30
states across the U.S.
“During an outbreak with a new virus there is a
lot of uncertainty. Our guidelines and recommendations are likely to be interim
and subject to change as we learn more,” she said. In South Korea, no one under
the age of 30 has died and in Japan, no one under 50 has died, she said. “Data
from these countries help us understand the potential risk in the U.S.”
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