Health and Science

Seattle reports new coronavirus deaths, CDC released woman who tested positive

Former 'disease detective' says US past point of containment with coronavirus
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Former 'disease detective' says US past point of containment with coronavirus

The coverage on this live blog has ended — but for up-to-the-minute coverage on the coronavirus, visit the live blog from CNBC's Asia-Pacific team.

All times below are in Eastern time.

  • Total confirmed cases: More than 89,100
  • Total deaths: At least 3,040

6:54 pm: Uber says coronavirus poses material risk to its business

Uber acknowledged, for the first time, that COVID-19 poses a material risk to the company's business. Early last month, as the new type of coronavirus began to take a toll on human health and industry in China and beyond, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC the company didn't anticipate the virus would impact its overall business. Uber now cautions investors that its number of platform users could decline or fluctuate materially due to many factors including: "a pandemic or an outbreak of disease or similar public health concern, such as the recent coronavirus outbreak, or fear of such an event," according to a new regulatory filing. —Kolodny

6:38 pm: Washington state governor says people 'should start to think about avoiding large events'

Washington Governor Jay Inslee said that residents "should start to think about avoiding large events and assemblies" as the coronavirus outbreak in the state worsens. Local health officials are currently not making a request for events to be canceled, Inslee said during a press briefing. "The people should be prepared for that possibility and need to be thinking about it," he added. Earlier in the day, Washington state officials said at least four more patients had died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the U.S. to at least six. —Lovelace

6:35 pm: Pence says coronavirus-related travel restrictions may expand

Vice President Mike Pence said the administration's decision on whether to expand its travel advisories for Italy and South Korea will be based on how many new cases they report. "The action the president authorized this weekend, raising the travel advisory, the American people should know we're saying you should not travel to certain sections of Italy or South Korea. Those advisories may expand, but we'll allow the caseload in those countries to define that," he said during a White House press briefing. The Trump administration currently recommends Americans refrain from visiting regions of Italy and South Korea impacted by the virus. —Lovelace, Breuninger

6:13 pm: New York Times halts nonessential business travel

The New York Times has cancelled nearly all nonessential business travel for its staff to areas of the world affected by the coronavirus outbreak, CNBC has confirmed. "The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. We've halted almost all nonessential travel to affected areas," a Times spokesperson said. "In addition to providing support to our staff covering the spread of the coronavirus worldwide, we have protocols for all staff returning from affected areas." —Newburger

5:36 pm: Texas city declares emergency after CDC releases woman infected with coronavirus

Ron Nirenberg, mayor of San Antonio, Texas, declared a public health emergency after the federal government released a woman from quarantine who tested positive for COVID-19, San Antonio officials confirmed to CNBC. The woman was among the 91 Americans evacuated from Wuhan and placed in federal, 14-day quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The woman tested negative twice for the new coronavirus and was released Saturday under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nirenberg said. Representatives from San Antonio declined to comment on the nature of the emergency declaration or how long it will last. 

5:09 pm: Consumers buy up survival foods like dried beans and vitamins

Consumers are shopping for more foods with long shelf lives and packaged items as the number of coronavirus cases in the U.S. rises, according to the latest Nielsen data. At U.S. stores, sales of fruit snacks were up by nearly 13%, dried beans were up 10% and pretzels were up 9% in the week that ended Feb. 22, according to Nielsen data that compared the period to the same time a year earlier. Sales of energy drinks, pet medicine, vitamin supplements and first aid kits also saw sales spike. On the other hand, sales of fresh fruit and vegetables have dropped. Mandarins were down 4% and celery was down 16% in the week that ended Feb. 22. —Repko

4:02 pm: Stocks recover some of last week's coronavirus-fueled losses

Stock markets rose sharply on Monday, recovering some of last week's fear-fueled losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average traded nearly 1,300 points higher, or roughly 5.1%. On a percentage basis, the move was the Dow's biggest since March 2009. It was the largest-ever points gain for the 30-stock average. Those gains snapped a seven-day losing streak for the Dow and made up a portion of last week's 3,500-point rout. Investors had been scrambling for safe assets as coronavirus worries weighed on global economies and supply chains. —Imbert, Salinas 

3:52 pm: More nations report virus cases

Morocco joined Latvia and Senegal in reporting the first cases of COVID-19 in each country on Monday. The outbreak, which originated in China, has since spread to more than 60 nations and five continents. While the vast majority of cases remain in China, the number of new cases outside the country are surging. —Salinas 

3:26 pm: Coronavirus prompts British Airways to cut some flights on world's most profitable route

British Airways is cancelling a dozen flights between London Heathrow and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport this month as the coronavirus takes a bite out of demand, the carrier said. The route is the world's most profitable, according to a report last year by aviation statistics firm OAG. The trimmed capacity comes as airlines are grappling with a slowdown in demand on several international routes amid fears of the fast-spreading illness, which has sickened more than 89,000 people. British Airways operates up to 10 round-trip flights a day between the two cities and the 12 cancellations will be between March 17 and March 28. The carrier is also cutting some of its short-haul trips between London and cities in Italy, France, Austria, Belgium, Germany and other countries. —Josephs

2:39 pm: Seattle reports at least 4 new deaths, bringing US total to at least 6

Coronavirus cases emerge in the US
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Coronavirus cases emerge in the US

Seattle-area officials said that at least four more people have died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in the U.S. to at least six. Five of the deaths are in King County with another fatality in Snohomish County, local officials said. —Feuer

2:15 pm: CDC released a woman in Texas who tested positive for the coronavirus: 'Totally unacceptable'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mistakenly released a woman from quarantine in Texas who tested positive for COVID-19, San Antonio officials said. The woman was among the 91 Americans evacuated from Wuhan and placed in federal, 14-day quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. The woman tested negative twice for the new coronavirus and was released on Saturday, San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg said. "Unfortunately after the person's release, the CDC received the results of another test that showed a weakly positive confirmation of the virus that causes COVID-19," Nirenberg said at a news briefing. —Feuer

2:04 pm: California county confirms two new cases, bringing total to nine

The County of Santa Clara Public Health department confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county's total number of cases to nine. Both cases are adult men who appeared to have direct contact with previously confirmed cases and are under home isolation. Health officials said the increase in new cases is expected and that they are in the process of identifying anyone who was in contact with the individuals. —Higgins-Dunn

1:32 pm: Virus poses low risk to troops and military logistics, Pentagon says

The nation's top military officer downplayed concerns that the coronavirus poses a significant risk to U.S. servicemembers and the Pentagon's global supply chain. "Right now the overall broad impact to the uniformed U.S. military is very, very minimal. It's not to say that it's zero, but it's very minimal, very few cases diagnosed, etcetera," U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a Pentagon press briefing. —Macias 

1:09 pm: Illinois health officials report new case in Cook County

Illinois health officials said they confirmed a new case in Cook County, a woman in her 70s who is married to another coronavirus patient. The CDC still needs to confirm Illinois' test results, according to the Illinois and Cook County health departments. The patient and her husband are reportedly in good condition, health officials said. —Kopecki 

1 pm: CDC says US cases jump to 91

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there are currently 91 confirmed or presumed positive cases of COVID-19 in the U.S. At least 48 of those are people who were evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, and the Diamond Princess cruise ship. At least 17 cases — 12 confirmed and 5 presumptive positive — are travel-related infections. Twenty-six cases — four confirmed and 22 presumptive positive — are from human-to-human interaction, according to the agency's website. The CDC reported just over 60 confirmed cases on Sunday. The CDC is now adding "presumptive" positive cases to its daily tally. Those are patients who have tested positive at a state or local lab and are awaiting confirmation from the CDC. —Lovelace

12:44 pm: Italian coronavirus deaths rise to 52, number of cases climbs above 2,000

The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has risen by 18 over the past 24 hours to 52, the Civil Protection Agency said.The accumulative number of cases in the country which has been hardest hit by the virus in Europe totaled 2036, up from 1,694 on Sunday. The head of the agency said that of those originally infected, 149 people had recovered. The contagion came to light 10 days ago and is focused mainly on a handful of hotspots in the north of Italy, with isolated cases reported in many other regions. —Reuters

12:40 pm: WHO says new coronavirus cases outside China surge over the last 24 hours

The number of new coronavirus cases outside China was almost 9 times higher than that inside the country over the last 24 hours, World Health Organization officials. As epidemics spread across other continents, new cases in China are falling, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing at the agency's headquarters in Geneva. It reported just 206 new cases of the coronavirus, COVID-19, on Sunday, the lowest number of new cases in that country since Jan. 22, he said. Outside China, the total number of cases now tops 8,739 across 61 countries, including 127 deaths, Tedros said.  About 81% of cases outside China are from four countries, he added. —Lovelace

12:13 pm: CDC schedules media briefing, then cancels at last minute

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention abruptly postponed a media briefing that was originally scheduled at noon — at the last minute and without explanation. The agency was expected to discuss new cases in California and Washington state that were confirmed over the weekend, as well as the nation's first two deaths outside of Seattle. "This call has been canceled and will be rescheduled, please disconnect from the call,"  an operator announced to reporters on hold for the call. —Kopecki

11:39: FEMA is prepping for a possible emergency declaration

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is planning for the possibility that President Donald Trump could make an emergency declaration to bring in extra funds and personnel to assist the administration's coronavirus response, NBC News reported. FEMA officials are prepping for an "infectious disease emergency declaration" by the president that would allow the agency to provide disaster relief funding to state and local governments, according to agency planning documents reviewed by NBC News. —NBC News

11:30 am: New York Auto Show still on for early April

Organizers of the New York Auto Show, which is scheduled to begin in early April, are continuing as planned in wake of the first case of the coronavirus being confirmed in New York City and the cancellation of the Geneva auto show last week, a show spokesman confirmed. Show officials, according to a previous statement, are "in communication with state and local officials and the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center," where the event takes place. The Javits Center, according to the statement, is taking "precautionary measures inside the venue to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, and the New York Auto Show will follow its lead to protect exhibitors and attendees." —Wayland

11:15 am: Saudi Arabia announces first case of coronavirus

Saudi Arabia announced its first case of the new coronavirus, the health ministry said, according to the state news agency. The infected person had come from Iran through Bahrain, the report added. —Reuters

11:00 am: Trump asks pharmaceutical companies to speed up coronavirus vaccine work

U.S. President Donald Trump said his administration has asked pharmaceutical companies to accelerate work on the development of a coronavirus vaccine, but provided no details. Top U.S. health officials have said that a vaccine for the virus, which has killed more than 3,000 people worldwide, is up to 18 months away. —Reuters

10:32 am: Shoppers flock to Costco over coronavirus fears

Shoppers lined up in throngs at Costco stores across the country this weekend, stocking up on cases of water, trail and rice mixes, paper towels, and other essentials in bulk, amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak. At least one analyst is already anticipating Costco's sales will see a boost, as a result, sending shares higher. The stock was up more than 6% in morning trading. An Oregon Costco location over the weekend ran out of toilet paper for the first time in its history, according to a local report. —Thomas

NYC ER doctor: I have to 'plead to test people' for coronavirus
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NYC ER doctor: I have to 'plead to test people' for coronavirus

10:20 am: New York boosts testing and institutes new cleaning protocols for public areas, senior facilities

New York state and city officials said they are increasing testing for the coronavirus and implementing a new cleaning protocol for schools, public transportation systems, and senior citizen facilities after confirming the state's first case on Sunday. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he also wants to ramp the state's testing capacity up to 1,000 tests per day. "Test as many as you can and then isolate the people so you can reduce the spread," he said in a press conference. —Kopecki

10:15 am: Coronavirus sends US airline stocks to new multi-year lows

U.S. airline stocks were left out of a modest stock-market recovery, hitting fresh multi-year lows in morning trading as new travel restrictions and advisories prompted them to cut more routes as the busier spring and summer travel seasons approach. United Airlines has paused new-pilot training, postponed its investor day scheduled for this week, and is offering pilots a month off at reduced pay. The airline has reduced service throughout Asia and CEO Oscar Munoz over the weekend warned employees about further flight cuts. Shares fell about 5% to the lowest level since September 2017. American and Delta, which have suspended flights to Milan due to the outbreak in Italy, were down 6% and 2%, respectively. —Josephs

United offers some pilots vacation at reduced pay due to decrease in demand
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United offers some pilots vacation at reduced pay due to decrease in demand

9:52 am: New York Times warns it's seeing a slowdown in ad bookings

The New York Times Company says it's seeing a slowdown in advertising bookings due to "uncertainty and anxiety" caused by the coronavirus, according to a regulatory filing. The company said it has "begun to see see some economic impact" from the virus. The New York Times Company's CEO and President Mark Thompson plans to comment on the virus' impact at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference, the filing says. —Graham

9:46 am: New York state and city officials hold press conference on first case

New York state and city officials are holding a press conference scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. ET to update the public on the state's first coronavirus case. New York officials confirmed on Sunday the infection, which is also the city's first case. The woman, who's is in her late 30s, had recently returned from Iran and is currently isolated in her home, officials said. Watch the live press conference here. —Feuer

9:36 am: Trump to host meeting with pharmaceutical companies

President Donald Trump will hold a meeting with pharmaceutical companies at the White House today on COVID-19. "They'll be coming to the White House, and we're talking about a vaccine and developing, very quickly — and they've already started working on it — developing, very rapidly, a vaccine for the virus," Trump said during a press briefing Sunday. Sanofi, which is working on a potential vaccine, is confirmed to attend. U.S. health officials, in collaboration with drugmakers, are fast-tracking work on a potential vaccine for the virus, hoping to start human trials in five to six weeks. There are currently no proven therapies for the latest outbreak. —Lovelace

9:31 am: Virus kills member of council advising Iran's supreme leader

A member of a council that advises Iran's supreme leader died after falling sick from the new coronavirus, state radio reported, becoming the first top official to succumb to the illness striking both citizens and leaders of the Islamic Republic. The death of Expediency Council member Mohammad Mirmohammadi, 71, came as Iran announced the virus had killed 66 people among 1,501 confirmed cases in the country. In two days, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled, showing the spiraling crisis of the outbreak as Iran says it is preparing to mobilize 300,000 soldiers and volunteers to confront the virus. Iran has the highest death toll in the world after China, the epicenter of the virus that causes the illness called COVID-19. —Associated Press

9:18 am: The coronavirus outbreak could mean no summer vacations this year

Summer vacations could be off the table this year as tourists put off traveling to avoid catching the new coronavirus. Demand for international travel has taken a downward turn amid the outbreak, which has seen the virus spread to at least 60 countries. Ian Harnett, co-founder and CIO of investment research firm Absolute Strategy, warned a prolonging of the crisis could seriously impact the global travel sector. "If this gets extended, we're talking about the impact on Easter holidays, potentially summer holidays, (and) whether the 'staycation' becomes the default for all of us here — that's going to be tremendously damaging to these industries," he said. —Taylor

8:56 am: Target cancels in-person investor meeting

Target has canceled its in-person analyst and investor meeting in New York City amid concerns about the coronavirus outbreak. The Minneapolis-based retailer's meeting was scheduled for Tuesday in midtown Manhattan. Instead of holding the event, Target said executives will present fourth-quarter results and answer questions by webcast. In an email, a company spokeswoman attributed the change to "the rapidly evolving situation regarding the coronavirus." —Repko

Tourists wearing masks walk through Union Square in New York City on February 28, 2020, amid fears of the coronavirus and a global pandemic.
Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images

8:10 am: San Antonio mayor blasts the CDC for mistakenly releasing quarantined patient

Mayor Ron Nirenberg blasted the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mistakenly releasing a COVID-19  patient who was quarantined near San Antonio, saying it was unacceptable. "We will hold the CDC accountable to providing complete transparency for the public," Nirenberg said in a statement Sunday. "This situation is exactly why we have been asking for federal officials to accept the guidance of our medical community."  —Kopecki

Coronavirus quarantines may exacerbate impact on economy, says Peter Kraus
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Coronavirus quarantines may exacerbate impact on economy, says Peter Kraus

7:24 am: Virus spreads to NYC, second death in Washington

Health authorities in Washington on Sunday confirmed a second death in the U.S. from the new coronavirus. The patient was a man in his 70s who was hospitalized at EvergreenHealth in Washington State, according to the King County Department of Public Health. The first coronavirus death on American soil was reported on Saturday, also from King County in Washington State. Meanwhile, New York State and city officials on Sunday confirmed Manhattan's first coronavirus case, a woman who recently traveled to Iran and is currently isolated in her home. The patient is in her late 30s and is now isolated in her home, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said. —Kopecki, Tan

7:12 am: Goldman sees the Fed getting even more aggressive in the face of coronavirus scare

Boockvar: A rate cut by the Fed or other central banks is not the antidote to what ails us right now
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Boockvar: A rate cut by the Fed or other central banks is not the antidote to what ails us right now

The U.S. Federal Reserve is likely to join other global central banks in cutting interest rates aggressively in response to the coronavirus scare, Goldman Sachs economists said Sunday. With fears over a global slowdown intensifying, the Fed likely will announce a 50 basis point cut at its March meeting, if not sooner, the firm said. In all, Goldman sees the Fed cutting 100 basis points this year, which is an increase from just Friday, when it saw a cut of 75 basis points. —Cox

6:55 am: EU coronavirus deaths reach 38, bloc raises risk level to high

A pedestrian wearing a protective face masks walks past the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2020. Italy appears never far from a recession, and the spread of the coronavirus may just tip it back into the danger zone.
Alessia Pierdomenico | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The president of the European Commission said the European Union's disease prevention agency had raised the bloc's risk level to high, as the coronavirus continues to spread. Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference in Brussels that the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control had raised its risk level up from moderate, with more than 2,100 cases of coronavirus confirmed in 18 of the 27 EU states. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides confirmed that 38 EU citizens had died as a result of the flu-like virus. —Meredith

5:50 am: Iran says infections exceed 1,500, 66 people dead

Iran's health ministry said the total number of patients infected with the coronavirus climbed to 1,501 with 66 deaths nationwide, Reuters reported citing state television. Iran is at the epicenter of the outbreak in the Middle East, having recorded the highest number of coronavirus fatalities outside China. —Meredith

5:05 am: India, Iraq, and Iceland all report new cases

Iceland has confirmed three more cases of the coronavirus, with India and Iraq also reporting two additional infections. Iceland's Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management confirmed that three patients had tested positive for the flu-like virus over the weekend. All of them had recently spent time on holiday in northern Italy — the epicenter of Europe's outbreak. Meanwhile, India reported two further cases of coronavirus, taking the country's toll to five. One of the new cases was in New Delhi, while the other was in Telangana, the government said. Elsewhere, Iraq's health ministry said that two people had contracted the flu-like virus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 21. —Meredith

4 am: Nike temporarily closes European headquarters due to coronavirus case

Nike's European headquarters in the Netherlands will remain closed through Tuesday after an employee was found to have contracted the coronavirus. "Out of an abundance of caution, we are conducting a deep cleaning of the EHQ campus," Nike said in a statement to CNBC, confirming it was aware of an employee coronavirus case. "All EHQ buildings and facilities will be closed until Wednesday." Approximately 2,000 Nike employees from 80 countries are estimated to work at the site. As of Sunday, the World Health Organization had confirmed seven cases of coronavirus in the country, with no deaths. —Meredith

Read CNBC's coverage from the Asia-Pacific overnight: Seoul mayor sues South Korea church group, Iran cases exceed 1,500

— CNBC's Kevin Breuninger, Emma Newburger, Sara Salinas, Fred Imbert, Leslie Josephs, Will Feuer, Amanda Macias, Megan Graham, Chloe Taylor, Noah Higgins-Dunn, Melissa Repko, Sam Meredith, Jeff Cox, and Weizhen Tan contributed to this report.