Arizona, California cases push US tally of new virus to 5

Peoria, IL, USA 1470 & 100.3 WMBD

Jan 26, 2020 | 3:24 PM

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 file photo, Passengers wear protective face masks at the departure hall of the high speed train station in Hong Kong. Fear about the effects of a new virus found in China is spreading faster through financial markets around the world than the sickness itself. U.S. stocks fell to their biggest weekly loss since early October on worries that the new coronavirus could ultimately hurt travel and global economic growth. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Health officials say the U.S. has five confirmed cases of the new pneumonia-like virus from China. Two new confirmed cases were announced Sunday – one in Los Angeles County in California and the other in Arizona.

All of the U.S. patients had traveled to Wuhan, the Chinese city that is the center of the outbreak. Other confirmed cases were in Orange County, California; Washington state; and Chicago.

The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. It is a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the deadly SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.

Chinese officials say the death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 81.