Islam Dogru
22 February 2020•Update: 22 February 2020
NEW YORK
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed Friday case number 34 of the novel coronavirus in the U.S. as health officials worldwide scramble to contain the disease's spread.
There are 13 U.S. and 21 repatriated cases, including 18 former passengers of the Diamond Princess cruise ship which docked in Japan, and three others who had been previously evacuated from China.
The Diamond Princess, a Montenegrin cruise ship, went into quarantine in Tokyo on Feb. 4.
"We are keeping track of cases resulting from repatriation efforts separately because we don't believe those numbers accurately represent the picture of what is happening in the community in the United States at this time," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters.
Chinese authorities announced Friday the death toll from the virus outbreak reached 2,238.
That country's National Health Commission said there are 75,465 confirmed cases.
More than 18,260 people have been discharged from hospitals after recovering from the illness.
Coronavirus has spread to more than 25 other countries including the U.S., the U.K., Singapore, France, Russia, Spain and India.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the outbreak an international health emergency.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar
