ATLANTA — It's a room buzzing with activity - full of maps and people all working toward a goal: stopping the spread of a new deadly disease.
We're getting a look inside the nerve center of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, where health professionals are monitoring the latest US cases of the newest coronavirus, officially dubbed COVID-19.
The illness, which was first spotted in 2019 in Wuhan, China, has now spread to several countries in Asia, Europe and even the United States, infected more than 60,000 people and killed 1,400, so far. Experts say COVID-19 has a 2 percent fatality rate, with elderly and male patients and those with pre-existing conditions - especially respiratory illnesses - most at risk. Here in the United States, there are at least 15 confirmed cases of the disease.
In the agency's Emergency Operations Center, not only are staff monitoring the virus here, they are also monitoring the epidemic aboard.
Photos: Inside the CDC's Emergency Operations Center
The CDC said they anticipate additional cases will appear in the coming days and weeks, including among people who have returned from Wuhan - the epicenter of the illness.
Meanwhile, China has implemented what it calls "wartime" measures to try and get a handle on the spread of the virus.
Nearly 1,400 military medical professionals have been sent to Wuhan, and millions have been confined to their homes, with some undergoing door-to-door temperature checks and food deliveries being hung on doors.
While concerns remain about the new coronavirus, it's important to remember we're experiencing a second wave of the flu here in the US. Health officials say it's one of the nastiest seasons for children in a decade, with 92 flu-related deaths reported in children so far this flu season.
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