Authorities in Brazos County, Texas, said on Thursday they were investigating a suspected case of a new coronavirus infection. The suspected patient reportedly traveled to Wuhan for two weeks and is now being quarantined at home. Texas A&M University confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that the patient was a student at the university.

File photo: CGTN

A passenger at the Los Angeles International Airport was also taken to the hospital for preventive medical evaluation Wednesday evening. The passenger, who was traveling with his family on an American Airlines flight 2546 from Mexico City to Los Angeles, arrived at Los Angeles international airport with flu-like symptoms, an airport spokesman said.

So far, one case of the new coronavirus has been confirmed in the US state of Washington. At least 16 people have been in close contact with the confirmed patient and they are now under observation, state health officials said. The patient is reported to be in good condition and is expected to be discharged soon.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was monitoring developments in China. On Thursday, the agency said it was seeking special emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to allow states to use diagnostic tests developed by the CDC to detect new coronaviruses.

The CDC has also raised its travel warning for the Chinese city of Wuhan from level 2 to the highest level, level 3, advising against nonessential travel.

A middle school in Virginia was scheduled to host a group of 20 students from Yichang, Hubei province, on Wednesday, but canceled the exchange event because of concerns about spreading the virus.