Dr. Nancy Messonnier, one of the top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans on Tuesday that the novel coronavirus that has killed thousands is already here and will spread across the United States.
“We expect we will see community spread in this country,” said Dr. Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness,” she warned, according to CNN.
The agency tweeted Tuesday evening that Americans should think about getting ready.
“Now is the time for US businesses, hospitals, and communities to begin preparing for the possible spread of #COVID19,” it wrote, referring to the name the World Health Organization has given the novel coronavirus. “CDC continues to work with business, education & healthcare sectors, encouraging employers to be prepared.”
Now is the time for US businesses, hospitals, and communities to begin preparing for the possible spread of #COVID19. CDC continues to work with business, education & healthcare sectors, encouraging employers to be prepared. Learn more: https://t.co/OUYvMhdIaS.
— CDC (@CDCgov) February 25, 2020
Messonnier said her agency wants people to understand their lives might be disrupted.
“We are asking the American public to work with us to prepare in the expectation that this could be bad,” she said.
Americans should also talk to employers about working online and talk to doctor’s offices about telehealth, the CDC says.
The warning comes as President Donald Trump claimed that the health crisis caused by the coronavirus is “under control.”
Messonnier said she talked her family and told them that they should plan for what to do if their lives were significantly impacted. She said she called the children’s school district about what would happen if schools need to close.
For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there’s a chance the virus could cause a lower, and much more serious, respiratory tract illness.
The CDC said that people may be able to reduce their risk of infection by avoiding those who are sick, avoiding touching their eyes, nose and mouth, and washing hands often with soap and water and for at least 20 seconds.
