On March 3, 2020, this report was posted online as an MMWR Early Release. Rachel M. Burke, PhD1; Claire M. Midgley, PhD1; Alissa Dratch, MPH2; Marty Fenstersheib, MD; Thomas Haupt, MS4; Michelle Holshue, MPH5,6; Isaac Ghinai, MBBS6,7; M.
Claire Jarashow, PhD8; Jennifer Lo, MD9; Tristan D. McPherson, MD6,10; Sara Rudman, MD; Sarah Scott, MD6,12; Aron J. Hall, DVM1; Alicia M.
Fry, MD1; Melissa A. Rolfes, PhD1 (View author affiliations) In December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, began in Wuhan, China (1).
The disease spread widely in China, and, as of February 26, 2020, COVID-19 cases had been identified in 36 other countries and territories, including the United States.