The Southern Nevada Health District announced on Wednesday, Jan. 29, a potential outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the Las Vegas area. The case is claimed to be found in a County Clark resident admitted to a local hospital. 

“The immediate risk of Coronavirus to the public in the United States is believed to be low at this time,” SNHD said in the statement. “People who have not traveled to an area where the virus is circulating or have had close contact with a patient who has tested positive for the virus are at low risk for infection.”

According to the Las Vegas Sun, the patient returned from China Tuesday, Jan. 14. Fox 5 Vegas also reported test results will be sent to the Center of Disease Control on Wednesday and results would be made available in 24-48 hours.

The Center for Disease Control reported the Coronavirus has been detected in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and Australia. The virus originated in Wuhan, China. The virus is airborne and can be transmitted between people. It is believed that the virus was transmitted from animals to people.

The CDC confirmed five cases of the virus in the U.S. The cases have been found in California, Arizona, Washington and Illinois. 

A total of 6,172 cases have been confirmed worldwide and the death rate stands at 133. 98 percent of the infections are in China as well as all of the deaths. The current fatality rate is at 3 percent.

Wuhan has been under lockdown with nearly 11 million people in isolation.

The SNHD states there are four different kinds of coronaviruses, which are routinely tested, but the CDC has the only ability to test 2019 Novel coronavirus. 

McCarran International Airport was not one of the 20 U.S. airports conducting screenings for the virus.

There are currently no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in the Las Vegas area as of the release of this article. 

This is a developing story. Check back with the Nevada Sagebrush for more updates.

Sarah Strang can be reached at sstrang@sagebrush.unr.edu or on Twitter @sarahstrang100.