March 10 coronavirus news

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said state and local public health labs are underequipped and understaffed.

"The truth is we've not invested, we've underinvested in the public health labs," Redfield said at a House Appropriations hearing for the 2021 CDC budget.

“There's not enough equipment, there's not enough people, there's not enough internal capacity, there's no surge capacity,” Redfield added.

“Public health labs, we built the technology in those labs to monitor flu, that uses a certain equipment, which we call thermocycler, that equipment, maybe a good lab could do 300 tests a day. University of Washington can use these high machines, like New York is about to do, those machines can do thousands, and thousands and thousands,” Redfield said.  

Redfield also said that 99% of the novel coronavirus cases recently confirmed were outside of China. According to the latest numbers from the World Health Organization, which were released on Monday, there were 3,948 new cases outside China and 45 new cases in China-- roughly 1%. 

“The epicenter, the new China is Europe. And there’s a lot of people coming back and forth from Europe. We’re starting to see these communities and we are moving quickly to understand how address Europe,” Redfield said. 

Nassau County in New York has 19 confirmed coronavirus cases, up from 17 yesterday – including two school bus drivers that transport between them about 80 students on several routes, according to the county executive.

They both drive small buses on Long Island, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said at a news conference today.

Most of the families of those students have been contacted by the department of health, which is continuing to contact families.

There have been school closures in response to the positive tests – including schools in Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, Glen Cove and Westbury along with some private schools in the areas including Friends Academy, Portledge, Mill Neck Manor, Eastwood and Summit Lower School.

Curran said beyond the 19 positive cases there are;

Curran stressed that the priority is to “protect our seniors” adding it’s important to focus on “containing” as much as possible to “reduce community spread”

Students at Harvard are being asked to move out of their dorms by Sunday, according to media relations director Rachael Dane. 

“Harvard College students have been asked to move out of their Houses and First-Year Dorms by Sunday, March 15 in an effort to de-densify our community,” Dane told CNN in an email. 

All academic courses will continue to be held remotely, she added.

Earlier today, Harvard's president said the school has asked students not to return to campus after spring break.

Harvard spokesman Jason Newton said any on-campus meetings after March 23 — the first day after spring break — will go virtual.

Filomena and Emidio Gasparri live in the mountains of Abruzzo in the town of Rivisondoli, which is known for its ski resorts.

Those resorts — which the local economy relies on — are now closed because of the government directive. 

Filomena said the closures are the "right thing to do."

Emidio agreed that closing the resorts was a good idea, adding that many people from the areas affected by the outbreak fled into the mountain region.

“They did well closing the ski resorts because it was becoming chaotic. the majority of people are not acting rationally. They search for refuge here, thinking that it would never arrive in the mountains," he said.

All of Italy under restrictions over coronavirus outbreak:

The Spanish government has blocked direct flights between Spain and Italy as it looks to stop the spread and of coronavirus.

The government said in a statement it was making the decision because the vast majority of cases imported into Spain had been linked to Italy

In his opening floor remarks today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was upbeat about the ability of the “well-equipped” United States to overcome the coronavirus. 

He urged House and Senate Democrats and Republicans to “put reflexive partisanship aside” as the government continues to respond to the crisis. 

McConnell said he looks forward to hearing the Trump administration’s pitch today for economic stimulus but did not indicate if he would support the proposal.

The United Nations has decided to close its New York complex to the general public and temporarily suspend all guided tours beginning at 8 p.m. ET today until further notice in the wake of coronavirus concerns, a spokesperson for the United Nations Secretary General said in a statement.

The UN has not been advised of any coronavirus cases amongst UN staff in New York

The House physician was asked in the Democratic caucus about whether members should be concerned if they see a colleague who was supposed to be self-quarantining at the congressional gym.

The doctor responded by describing to lawmakers a spectrum of contact and how concerning it should be, according to two members in the room.

Here are some activities that are not high risks, according to the physician:

A lengthy meeting or close contact with someone who contracts the virus would be higher risk — and would likely require quarantining, the members said.

Hand-to-hand contact was to be avoided, the physician said.

People who are immunocompromised "are at higher risk from this illness, as well as other illnesses like the flu. Avoiding contact with ill people is crucial," Washington state's Snohomish Health District said.

Snohomish County is where the first US case of novel coronavirus was reported in January. Since then, more than 700 people in the US have been infected, and at least 26 have died — mostly in Washington state.

Even before the coronavirus outbreak, those with weakened immune systems often suffered more severe complications when sickened while traveling.

"While rates of infection may not differ significantly between healthy and immunocompromised travelers, the latter are at greater risk for severe disease," according to researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine.

Big efforts to keep travelers safe from coronavirus: