American evacuated from China still wary of deadly virus

American evacuated from China still wary of deadly virus

SeattlePI.com

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RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — Jarred Evans, a professional football player in China, is used to wearing safety gear: a helmet and shoulder pads. But in the wake of a deadly viral outbreak, he's switched to a mask and medical gloves.

“When you're dealing with life and death, it's a whole different ball game," he said in a telephone interview Thursday.

Evans, 27, was one of 195 Americans evacuated from the city of Wuhan and flown to March Air Reserve Base in Southern California until authorities confirm they don't have the coronavirus that has sickened thousands and killed more than 170 people.

Most cases are in China, but the outbreak has spread to more than a dozen countries, and the World Health Organization declared a global emergency Thursday.

The U.S. on Thursday confirmed the country's first case of person-to-person spread of the virus, a man who is married to a Chicago woman in her 60s who got sick after she returned from a trip to Wuhan.

Evans and the other evacuees, including children ranging from around a year old to about 13, are staying at the sprawling base where they received a battery of blood tests and were given nose, throat and mouth swabs, Evans said. Some test results won't be back for a week, he added.

While the surroundings are fairly comfortable, Evans said Thursday that he and others are still being cautious about mingling.

“I’m still wearing my mask and I’m still wearing my gloves," he said in a telephone interview. “We’re still not knowing who has it. I’m still taking major precautions. You don't know whether you're in the clear.”

“Today a lot of kids were enjoying the weather,” he said, and the base provided scooters, bikes, footballs and soccer balls for them to play with.

But at dinnertime, Evans added, “everyone’s...

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