What officials are doing to control the spread of the coronavirus

Starting Friday, the Washington Department of Health will begin testing samples of coronavirus instead of sending them to the CDC. 

Officials say results will now be available within hours instead of days. 

Washington state is in what’s called the Containment Phase. The Department of Health is asking doctors to be on the lookout for patients who have a fever, cough, and recent travel history. 

The goal is to prevent community spread. In one Northern California community, the search is already on. 

Authorities are trying to find everyone who came into contact with a Solano County woman after she tested positive. 

Her case is believed to be the first spread through her community. 

The problem? Since she had not traveled to any hot zones and doesn’t know anyone infected, she wasn’t tested until four days after showing symptoms. 

In a release, health officials said the risk of people becoming infected in that community remains low. 

But experts say valuable time has been lost. 

In Washington, Vice President Mike Pence is now in charge of the administration’s coronavirus response, and he’s moving to control what information gets to the public.

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