Washington Examiner reported that Frank Wucinski said he was in Wuhan to attend a ceremony for his father-in-law who died recently. Wucinski and his 3-year-old daughter Annabelle tested negative for the disease after being kept in isolation by the Centers for Disease Control.
“Fortunately, from what I understand, it is contagious, but the death rate is pretty low,” said Wucinski through stunted coughs during an appearance on Fox News.
After coughing repeatedly several times, Wucinski excused himself before drinking from a water bottle that his daughter had before handing it back to the child. He said that after being released from quarantine, Annabelle coughed in front of hospital staff, who then sent them back into isolation for few more days.
“They said I’m fine. I got tested twice, negative both times. The cough, probably just nerves,” Wucinski said as he struggled to swallow.
SARS-CoV-2, which is part of a family of coronaviruses including the 2003 SARS virus and Middle East respiratory syndrome, has killed more than 2,700 people and infected more than 80,000 globally.
The virus, which causes the disease known as COVID-19, has spread outside of China last week, with major outbreaks cropping up in Italy and Iran. In the United States, California health officials are monitoring more than 8,000 people for possible infection.
There have been about 60 confirmed cases and zero deaths so far in the U.S.