February 28 coronavirus news

The Port of Los Angeles has canceled 40 vessel calls and estimated it has experienced a 25% drop in overall volumes this month, Port of Los Angeles spokesman Phillip Sanfield told CNN.

The Port of Los Angeles is one of the world’s busiest seaports and the leading gateway for international trade in the Western Hemisphere, according to the port’s website.

The cancellations, which cover scheduled vessel calls between February 11 and April 1, represent about 25% of the port’s normal vessel calls during the time frame, Sanfield said.

The 25% decrease in overall volumes this month compared to February of last year is “largely due to coronavirus,” Sanfield said. He explained that trade war is a factor, but coronavirus is the main reason.

The port estimates an overall decrease for the first quarter of 2020 of about 15% compared to 2019, Sanfield added.

Coronavirus testing kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have arrived in California, the California Department of Public Health announced in a press release Friday.

The state will receive an additional shipment of testing kits to test up to 1,200 people, according to the press release.

“As we face the likelihood of community transmission here in California, having this resource where we need it, is essential to better inform public health response and protect our communities," Angell said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the "new testing protocols and resources will help California medical experts identify and treat" coronavirus. It will also help trace potential exposures and better protect the public's health, he said.

 “I am grateful to the CDC and federal government for quickly heeding our state’s requests and assisting California’s response to this evolving situation,” Newsom added.

The March 14 meeting between President Donald Trump and the Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) in Las Vegas, Nevada, was postponed Friday, a senior administration official told CNN. Reuters first reported the postponement.

Exact plans for the meeting had not been announced, but administration officials said they expected President Trump to attend and to have bilateral meetings while there.

The 63rd case of coronavirus reported Friday in Santa Clara County, California, is the second US case of unknown origin, according to the county's public health department.

The individual diagnosed is an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who was hospitalized for a respiratory illness, the department said in a press release.

The woman's infectious disease physician contacted the health department to discuss the case and request testing for coronavirus. Since receiving the results Thursday night, the department has been working to identify contacts and understand the extent of exposures, the release said.

A new confirmed case of the novel coronavirus was reported Friday in Santa Clara County, California, by the county’s public health department.

The new case is the third in the county.

There are now 63 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the United States.

A person who was under investigation for coronavirus in Snohomish County, Washington, has tested negative for the virus, according to a statement from the Snohomish Health District.

That person was in close contact with someone from Bothell High School, the statement said.

Bothell High School was closed Thursday and Friday for cleaning in response to a staff member’s relative being quarantined and tested for the virus.

The school's closing was "not necessary," according to public health officials with Seattle and King County but was done out of "an abundance of caution," the school district's superintendent said.

Alaska Airlines has suspended change and cancellation fees due to the coronavirus, according to an airline press release Thursday.

From February 27 to March 12, any change or cancellation fees for new flight bookings will be suspended for guests who later decide not to travel due to concerns about the virus, the release said.

Travelers who books before March 12 and decide to change their plans before March 12 will receive a travel credit for up to one year, according to the release.

A person admitted Friday morning to the Princess Grace Hospital in Monaco, a country in western Europe, has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Monaco's official government Twitter account.

One person who the patient came into contact with has been confined at home.

An investigation is underway to trace the patient’s movements and identify the individuals the patient has been in contact with.

Newly reported confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Spain brought the nationwide total to 39 on Friday.

Of those 39: