Officials ramp up response as coronavirus spreads across U.S.

The coronavirus reached a new milestone of 100,000 infections worldwide Friday as the U.S. and other countries grapple with more cases, prompting increased action from lawmakers at the state and federal levels.

President Trump on Friday signed a $8.3 billion emergency spending package to respond to the coronavirus as new cases of COVID-19, the official name of the disease the virus causes, pop up across the United States.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf on Friday confirmed two positive cases of COVID-19, one in Wayne County and another in Delaware County. Both individuals recently traveled to a country where the coronavirus was circulating and isolated themselves in their homes, according to a statement.

The news came less than 24 hours after Gov. Larry Hogan in neighboring Maryland declared a state of emergency after the state confirmed the disease in three residents in the Washington suburb of Montgomery County who contracted the illness while traveling overseas.

“We have been actively preparing for this situation over the last several weeks across all levels of government. I encourage all Marylanders not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as we continue to provide updates,” Mr. Hogan said.

The New York State Health Department reported 11 additional cases of the coronavirus Thursday, bringing the total to 22 confirmed cases, with several thousand people quarantined in New York City and Westchester County.

At least 164 cases in 19 states have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Washington state reported Friday that three more people died from the coronavirus, bringing the death toll to at least 14, The Seattle Times reported.

On the East Coast, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New Hampshire also have reported cases.

A second former passenger from the Grand Princess cruise ship, which has been moored off the coast of California, died Friday from COVID-19, the Miami Herald reported.

Twenty-one people on the 3,500-passenger ship were confirmed to have the disease: 19 crew members and two passengers, Vice President Mike Pence said Friday evening during the coronavirus task force briefing.

The ship will be allowed to return to port now that testing has been completed, President Trump said Friday while touring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Meanwhile, Austin, Texas, canceled its popular South by Southwest arts and technology festival on Friday, after major companies such as Netflix and TikTok pulled out and more than 50,000 people signed a petition asking for it to be canceled.

“The more we’re able to test, the more we’ll be able to find coronavirus infections,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University. “What we will demonstrate is actually that the coronavirus is likely widely distributed in the United States. Even a few days ago, many of us were not sure whether coronavirus in the United States was very focal, just in a few places, or whether it was widely distributed.

“We need to do more testing,” he said, adding it appears there was undetected community transmission going on. “I think reporting locally, the identification of cases locally, brings to home what many people have thought was far away and that makes everyone think more seriously about what they need to do locally. I think we’re on the razor’s edge from moving from containment strategy to mitigation.”

In efforts to contain the virus, some schools have shut down and companies have asked employees to work from home.

Dr. Schaffner said individuals can become “semi-hermits” and avoid large groups of people that could put them at risk of infection, suggesting eating home instead of at restaurants and avoiding grocery shopping at peak hours.

China, where the outbreak began, has reported more than 80,000 coronavirus illnesses. South Korea has reported more than 6,000 cases. Iran ranks third at more than 4,700 cases while Italy ranks fourth with nearly 4,000 infections. At least 90 countries have reported cases.

“As cases increase, we are continuing to recommend that all countries make containment their highest priority. We continue to call on countries to find, test, isolate and care for every case, and to trace every contact,” Mr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said Friday. “Slowing down the epidemic saves lives, and it buys time for preparedness and for research and development.”

Mr. Tedros said WHO has received applications for 40 diagnostic tests for review and approval, 20 vaccines are in development and many clinical trials for therapeutics are in progress.

The emergency measure signed by Mr. Trump sets aside billions of dollars for vaccine and treatment research, boosts state, local and overseas efforts, and offers low-interest loans to small businesses hurt by the outbreak.

The $8.3 billion package is more than triple the $2.5 billion the White House initially proposed and passed the Senate 96-1, with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul voting no.

“My advice is that we all need to pull together and look out for one another,” said Lawrence Gostin, a global health law professor at Georgetown University. “Don’t blame ’the other’ whether that person may be of Asian descent or be a politician on the other side of your political preferences. Be kind and check in on frail neighbors.”