Two of the three states that make up the tri-state say they are ready to start testing for potential cases of the novel coronavirus — but the state that actually has a patient being looked at for the spreading illness still doesn't have permission from the Centers for Disease Control.
A New York City resident who recently came back from a trip to Italy is being tested for COVID-19, according to officials. After a sample was sent to Atlanta for testing on Thursday, it could be until well into the weekend before the city learns if it has its first confirmed case of the virus that the CDC says has killed more than 2,800 people worldwide.
The patient began exhibiting symptoms shortly after returning from a trip to Italy, where NBC News confirmed there are nearly 900 people infected, in addition to 21 deaths. Symptoms — which include fever, coughing and shortness of breath — are likely to appear as soon as two days after exposure, or up to two weeks later, according to the CDC.
Gov. Cuomo said that even as health officials wait for results, the debate about a case occurring in New York is not an if, but a when.
"I talked to the Vice President, look we can do the test," the governor said in a radio interview Friday. "We have the sophistication, but step one is making sure you have the testing capacity."
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio sounded off on Twitter over the testing delays, pointing the finger at the Trump administration for not heeding warnings sooner.
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"We've gotten every conceivable warning about the coronavirus from health authorities across the country and globe. It’s been coming like a freight train and the Trump administration hasn’t even done the basics," the mayor said in a tweet.
When testing would be made available in the city was not immediately clear.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Public Health Department said Friday that a lab in West Trenton had been approved to test for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Conecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also said that a state lab will be able to conduct testing shortly.
In a teleconference, the CDC said the goal is to have testing available in all 50 states by the end of next week. When presses about which states and places have the capacity, the CDC would not give specifics citing the evolving situation.
So far in the tri-state, there have been no confirmed cases of the illness that has now been found on every continent except Antarctica. NYC Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot says that due to the federal government expanding its criteria for virus testing to include Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea, more people are expected to be tested.
"Viruses don’t respect borders and this broader definition will help us cast a wider net to detect the virus. We expect the number of cases under investigation to grow," Barbot said.
New York City's Bellevue Hospital is one of several local medical centers that are preparing for a possible outbreak. It is home to 1,200 beds that could be readily available in case the virus becomes widespread, according to Mayor de Blasio.
As of Friday night, there were at least two cases of novel coronavirus in the United States believed to have been transmitted to a person who didn’t travel internationally or come in close contact with anyone who had it.
That first patient, a woman in California, was put in isolation and on a ventilator at UC Davis Medical Center. She did not have any contact with any people who are known to be infected, either. Her testing was initially delayed for days because she didn't meet federal criteria.
Previously, there were more than 60 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the U.S., most of which stemmed from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.
While health experts maintain that the risk of getting the COVID-19 virus is low, spread of the illness is inevitable.
Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
Source: NBC News, staff reports
