Seattle is hot spot for COVID-19 as US cases hit 100

Seattle has emerged as a hot spot for COVID-19 activity, after a weekend that saw at least two dozen newly confirmed cases from the West to East Coasts.

New York, Florida, and New Hampshire all reported their first cases, while governors in Washington and Florida have declared states of emergencies.

For the first time since the outbreak began, cases involving community spread of the novel coronavirus outnumbered cases among Americans who contracted the virus while traveling, according to the COVID-19 website maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While the exact number is in flux, the country has at least 52 cases linked to community spread or travel, and 48 cases in Americans repatriated from Wuhan, China or the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Eleven states have reported cases, with Washington State and California each reporting 18 cases, Illinois reporting 4, Oregon recording 3, Florida and Rhode Island each reporting 2 cases, and Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, Wisconsin, and New Hampshire each recording a single case, according to CNN Health.

One repatriated patient was released too early from quarantine in Texas, the CDC said in a letter posted by San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Twitter. The patient was released after two negative tests, but has now tested positive for the virus. He is back in quarantine.