New York Times reports on the matter
- A coronavirus case has been found in California - of unknown origin
- The US CDC confirms first case of coronavirus of unknown origin
The patient in question had earlier in the day been reported to be the first person in the US to be infected through community spread.
Now the latest update is that he/she had to wait for days to be tested because of restrictive federal criteria.
It is reported that doctors at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center had believed that the patient may have contracted the new coronavirus but the federal agency that conducts the test did not administer one until days later.
This is because the patient did not fit into the CDC's narrow testing criteria - which is restricted to testing patients who either traveled to China recently or who know they had contact with someone infected by the coronavirus.
Here is the university's statement on the matter:
"Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be Covid-19.. The medical center requested testing from the C.D.C. Since the patient did not fit the existing C.D.C. criteria for Covid-19, a test was not immediately administered. U.C. Davis Health does not control the testing process."
One wonders how many more out there that are suspected but could not have received the appropriate test because they do not fit the above criteria.
