Michael Snyder is the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, The American Dream Blog and The Truth. You can follow him on Twitter right here

Up to this point, the coronavirus outbreak has been primarily confined to China.  Yes, there have been isolated cases all over the globe, and that has mostly been from people flying from China back to their home countries.  But overall, the vast majority of the confirmed cases have been in urban areas inside China. 

However, that could potentially now be changing.  Alarming reports are starting to come in from all across the world, and the number of “potential cases” in the United States is definitely quite startling. 

As you will see below, all testing for the coronavirus is currently being done at the CDC, and this is really slowing things down. 

So for the moment local officials all over the nation have “suspected cases” that they are monitoring, but they can’t confirm anything officially until they hear back from the CDC.

So you will see the words “possible” and “potential” a lot in the stories that I am about to share with you.  In the end, it is quite likely that many of these cases will be confirmed by the CDC.  But we won’t know for certain until the test results are made public.

With that being said, let’s take a look at some of the reports that have come in over the past few days.

#1 One of the very first confirmed cases in the U.S. was in Chicago, and now it appears that they may have a second victim…

The Chicago area has a potential second victim of the coronavirus.

Someone is hospitalized in isolation in Porter County with symptoms like those of the virus. County officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are awaiting test results to confirm a diagnosis.

#2 You wouldn’t think that Arkansas would be one of the first places where a coronavirus case would emerge, but authorities there are telling us that they have a “possible case” on their hands…

The Arkansas Department of Health is investigating the state’s first possible case of the new coronavirus, a department spokesman said.

The spokesman, Danyelle McNeill, said tests are being performed to determine whether the person’s illness is due to the virus first identified in Wuhan, China. She said results are expected within a few days.

#3 Not to be outdone, Oklahoma is actually monitoring two potential cases right now…

Oklahoma health officials announced Wednesday they are awaiting coronavirus testing results from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention for two people in our state under investigation.

Health officials announced Monday they were coordinating coronavirus testing for two people in Oklahoma who meet the criteria for persons under investigation.

#4 Over in Nevada there is a potential case as well.  If this virus were to actually start spreading around Clark County on a widespread basis, what would that mean for Las Vegas tourism?…

The Southern Nevada Health District announced Wednesday that they are investigating a possible case of coronavirus in Clark County.

SNHD said patient in question was placed in isolation at a local hospital, but wouldn’t specify which hospital. The patient will be monitored and under medical supervision while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducts testing, SNHD said.

#5 On the other side of the country, a possible victim in Delaware has officials there quite spooked…

The Delaware health department is investigating a potential case of coronavirus in a Kent County resident, officials said Wednesday.

The Division of Public Health would not release any information about the resident, other than that a “review of the patient’s travel history” and symptoms led to the determination that testing should be performed, officials said.

#6 And all the way on the other coast, authorities in San Diego are waiting to see if their worst fears will be confirmed…

Local health officials said Wednesday they are still awaiting test results to determine if a San Diego County patient is infected with the potentially deadly coronavirus that has killed 170 people, but the patient remains isolated at home.

Coronavirus Prevention & Treatment, Take These Precautions

The reason why all of these local officials are waiting so long for test results is because there is a massive backlog at the CDC.

Doctors all over the U.S. are contacting them “all day and all night” about possible cases, and at this point the CDC is the only location in the entire country that can test for the virus.  The following comes from NBC News…

On Sunday, Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said doctors around the country had been calling “all day and all night” about potential cases of the respiratory illness, called 2019-nCoV.

All testing for the new coronavirus in the United States is done at the CDC, although Messonnier said the CDC is working to get a rapid test to the states as soon as possible.

Hopefully they can get that “rapid test” out to local hospitals as quickly as possible, because I have a feeling that they are going to need it.

Meanwhile, another case has been confirmed in Canada.  This time, the victim is in British Columbia…

Health officials say B.C.’s first presumptive case of novel Wuhan coronavirus is now confirmed, after lab tests came back positive for the deadly infection.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said the test results came back Wednesday for the man in his 40s, who remains in isolation at home.

This isn’t all that surprising, because large numbers of Chinese have bought expensive homes in B.C. in recent years.

There has been talk that other countries may start restricting or cutting off air travel from China, but so far very little has been done.

But it may already be too late.  The virus already seems to be popping up all over America, and as we have seen in China, a handful of cases can become thousands of cases very rapidly.

Fear of a possible “global pandemic” is rising with each passing day, and the mainstream media here in the U.S. is already warning that “mask hoarding has begun”…

Even though there are only five cases of Wuhan coronavirus in the United States, the mask hoarding has begun.

Some pharmacies report being entirely sold out of masks. Some popular sellers on Amazon say deliveries will be delayed for weeks.

Let us hope that this outbreak fizzles out somehow.  But without a doubt we live at a time when we should be expecting the unexpected, and very few people anticipated that we would be dealing with such a massive global health emergency during the early stages of 2020.

Right now, major cities all over China resemble ghost towns because people are staying indoors to avoid getting the virus.

If this virus starts spreading very rapidly here in the United States, the same thing will almost certainly happen here.

I would encourage all of you to at least make some basic preparations for an extended crisis, because nobody is quite sure exactly what is going to happen next.

Coronavirus Prevention & Treatment, Take These Precautions

About the Author: I am a voice crying out for change in a society that generally seems content to stay asleep. My name is Michael Snyder and I am the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, End Of The American Dream and The Most Important News, and the articles that I publish on those sites are republished on dozens of other prominent websites all over the globe. I have written four books that are available on Amazon.com including The Beginning Of The End, Get Prepared Now, and Living A Life That Really Matters. (#CommissionsEarned) By purchasing those books you help to support my work. I always freely and happily allow others to republish my articles on their own websites, but due to government regulations I need those that republish my articles to include this “About the Author” section with each article. In order to comply with those government regulations, I need to tell you that the controversial opinions in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the websites where my work is republished. This article may contain opinions on political matters, but it is not intended to promote the candidacy of any particular political candidate. The material contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and readers should consult licensed professionals before making any legal, business, financial or health decisions. Those responding to this article by making comments are solely responsible for their viewpoints, and those viewpoints do not necessarily represent the viewpoints of Michael Snyder or the operators of the websites where my work is republished. I encourage you to follow me on social media on Facebook and Twitter, and any way that you can share these articles with others is a great help.

Michael Snyder is the publisher of The Economic Collapse Blog, The American Dream Blog and The Truth. You can follow him on Twitter right here