Update: On Saturday, February 1st, New York City identified its first potential case of coronavirus as an individual under 40 who is being treated at Bellevue Hospital Center.
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As the crisis over the spread of coronavirus in China provokes deepening worldwide concern and stronger precautionary measures, heightened anxiety among New Yorkers has spurred at least two false reports this week.
There have been no confirmed or suspected cases in New York City. But on Friday, several news outlets reported that a person who recently traveled to New York City from China was being tested for possible coronavirus at Elmhurst General Hospital. The report was said to have come from the NYPD, which sent an email to officers in eight Queens police precincts shortly before 2 a.m. Friday morning saying that Elmhurst General Hospital, or "EGH," had a confirmed case of coronavirus. It advised officers going there to wear face masks.
“Just an FYI….. EGH has 1 confirmed case of the Coronavirus, If you send perp to EGH, make sure the officer has proper gear (mask) to protect themselves,” read the email, which was obtained by several publications, including the Queens Daily Eagle.
A spokesperson for the city Department of Health squashed the rumor, but not before news alerts popped up on social media.
Asked about the email, a spokesperson for the NYPD said only, "The information provided to one of our members was inaccurate."
The incident showed how quickly false rumors can spread amid a worsening health epidemic.
Earlier this week, a story circulating on WeChat, a Chinese messaging app, about a patient suspected of having coronavirus had checked into the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center and was transported to Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital.
On Thursday, a doctor with Charles B. Wang Community Health Center told Gothamist that the report was unequivocally false.
The virus, although spreading at alarming rate, has to date been largely contained in China. Globally, the disease has infected 9,800 people, the overwhelming majority of whom are in China. All of the 213 deaths have also been in that country.
Nonetheless, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a global health emergency on Thursday, citing a concern for a potential spread into countries with weak healthcare systems. On Friday, the Trump administration said it was temporarily denying entry into the United States for any foreign nationals who have traveled to China. On Sunday, it will also begin quarantining any U.S. citizen who has been in the Hubei province of China, where the virus is said to have originated, within the past 14 days. The quarantine will last for up to 14 days.
Delta, United, and American Airlines have suspended all flights between the U.S. and mainland China.
“Coronavirus makes everybody nervous," said Peter Koo, a City Council member who represents the heavily-Asian community of Flushing. "We’re here today to relieve the anxiety of every one of you. The sky is not falling. Don’t worry."
Koo spoke at a press conference in Flushing on Friday, where he was joined by several elected officials as well as Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner for the division of disease control for the city's Department of Health.
Despite announcing that the NYPD report was untrue, city officials were repeatedly questioned about it by Chinese journalists.
“Let’s say it together: As of this moment there are no cases in New York City—there has not been a confirmed case at Elmhurst," Dr. Daskalakis said.
Across New York state, there have been 11 people who have been sent for testing, and no confirmed cases to date.
Worker at bubble tea shop in Flushing wearing face mask.
Still, at the New World mall, there were signs that people were on edge about the outbreak.
Shannon Chen, who was eating lunch, said she had rarely seen so few people there. "Usually almost all the seats are full," she said.
Chen said she thought people were being paranoid. She noted that it was also flu season. "You don’t really see people going over the top for that," she said.
All told, the flu is expected to exact a far deadlier toll. To date, it has infected 19 million Americans across the country and killed at least 10,000 people this season alone, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One woman working at food stall who wore a mask said she was wearing it to protect herself from the coronavirus.
She declined to give her name, but said that the food court had been less busy in recent days. "Usually in Flushing, there’s a lot of Chinese people," she said. "I think they think it’s very serious.”
Several events that had been planned for the Lunar New Year have been reportedly canceled. “Right now I can see that almost like 80 percent of them has been canceled,” said Jerry Lo, a businessman who works in the import-export business. Flushing, he added, has “never been so quiet.”
Local health officials have tried to allay fears, urging New Yorkers to go on with their lives and not to bother wearing face masks, which they say are unnecessary given the low threat level. Pharmacies across the city have been out of stock, leading some to worry about a shortage that could affect doctors and nurses and raise the risk of an outbreak in the U.S.
Dr. Daskalakis also warned against discriminating against Chinese people. In other countries, there have been reports of anti-Chinese sentiment.
“This is a virus. This is not about a group of people,” he said “This is not a reason to stigmatize any population.”
He added: “Science says have fun, be a New Yorker. There’s no reason to avoid any part of the city."
