Coronavirus: Donald Trump says he’s doing ‘incredible job’ handling crisis as California records 33 cases

California’s governor said the state is monitoring 8,400 people for Covid-19 symptoms

California on Wednesday reported an infection of unknown origin, making it potentially the first incident of the virus spreading within US communities

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US President Donald Trump. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:59am, 28 Feb 2020Updated: 12:18pm, 28 Feb 2020

US President Donald Trump said his administration has done an “incredible job” preventing the spread of coronavirus after California’s governor said the state is monitoring 8,400 people for signs of exposure.

The US has 15 people who contracted the virus “instead of thousands of people,” Trump told reporters on Thursday at the White House, adding that most are better. He credited the administration’s decision to close borders, an apparent reference to restrictions on travellers from China.

At a news conference on Thursday, Governor Gavin Newsom said 33 individuals have tested positive for the coronavirus in California. Most of those were quarantined travellers on the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was docked off Japan.

California has only 200 test kits, but has appealed for testing protocols to be expanded to include Americans who may catch the virus as it spreads through US communities, Newsom said.

Newsom said the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has assured the state that testing protocols will be advanced and access to test kits will expand “exponentially” in the coming days.