WHO declares coronavirus outbreak an international health emergency

The WHO yesterday declared the ongoing coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern, a designation that signals the need for a more coordinated global response. Here’s the latest on the outbreak: 

• Travel warning: Late last night, the U.S. State Department upgraded its travel warning for China, saying people should avoid going to the country. More than 9,700 people have now been infected, and at least 213 people have died.
• First asymptomatic spread: Researchers reported the case of a woman from Shanghai who traveled to Germany for a business meeting and, despite having no symptoms, transmitted the virus to a German colleague who tested positive for the virus. 
• First person-to-person spread in U.S.: The CDC yesterday announced the first human-to-human transmission in the U.S, bringing the total U.S. cases to six. A Chicago-area woman in her 60s, who was among the first in the country to be diagnosed with the new virus, transmitted it to her husband. The couple remains in stable condition.