there's a very known saying -- an outbreak anywhere is a threat everywhere, and that's truly the case. >> not urging calm. i'm urging reality. >> tonight, we're live for a special breaking news edition of "20/20." >> she says, i don't know when i'm going to get to see you again. i got a phone call this morning that she passed at 3:30 in the morning. >> your most up to date complete picture yet as coronavirus spreads state by state. >> the ship will not come on shore. >> 21 of those on the ship tested positive. >> the facts versus the contagion of fear. >> this is not a doomsday scenario. it's not an apocalyptic event. there are things we can do.

>> to get real rapid test could be a game changer. >> >> spread. our reporter in the hot zone. >> no mask. sold out. >> inside princess diamond, i was so scared. >> now, answers for your family here at home. outbreak, what you need to know. here's david muir. >> good evening, everyone, and thanks for joining us for this live special edition of the "20/20" tonight. for the next two hours we're going the break down all the details of the coronavirus. where it's spreading. we're going start with the breaking news. the vice president revealing late today test results from the cruise ship off the coast of california. at least 21 infected. 19 are crew members. also, dozens at a boston hotel have been taken to a hospital

for immediate screens after attending a conference where at least three people tested positive. in new york city, the number of cases doubling again today. thousands being told to self-quarantine. the governor saying today it's light the flu on steroids. take a look at the map tonight. since that first outbreak in january, the outbreak in america spreading to 26 states tonight. i want to bring in abc's chief medical editor jen ashton who's been with me every step of the way. we have a team of doctors tonight. they're going to be taking questions from viewers at home all iainievening long. >> there's a critical situation evolving hour to hour with the cruise ship off the coast of california. we saw how a cruise ship quarantine can go very wrong with what happened with the diamond princess. at least 21 positive tests on the ship now. they need to figure out a plan be they need to do it quickly.

>> we saw how it happened and how quickly it happened on the last cruise ship. jen, we'll be coming back to you often. the team of doctors will be answering your questions at home. we want to get to the unfolding situation. mike pence saying the test results are in from the cruise ship off california. 21 tested posttiff. 19 are crew members. in boston, dozens taken to the hospital for screening. we begin with the urgent urgen situati situation, on that cruise ship tonight. states scrambling to condition tan the coronavirus. the number of cases and death toll rising. vice president mike pence saying test result haves come in from the cruise ship off california, at least 21 testing positive. 19 are crew members. the news comes 24 hour after

national guard choppers hovered over the ship, delivering the coronavirus test kits. there are thousands of cruise ship passengers on board. worried passengers on board had been bracing for results all day. >> right now it's numbing. it's trying to process this information and see what our live holds in the next couple weeks. >> debbie loftus and her parents are some of the passengers, circling 60 miles off the coast of san francisco. now being told to stay in their rooms. >> i was worried mainly because my parents are elderly. they're elderly, from chippewa falls, wisconsin. my mom has asthma so i'm worried if she might get ill what might happen. >> tonight outside this san francisco hospital they're setting up tents to handle any overflow. in the seattle area, another crisis. fishes there announced a team of 30 federal health professionals are now on the way to help at this nursing home, where at

least eight resident haves now died. >> we are grateful the cavalry is arriving. we have had some challenges with life care and i'm starting to lose my patience. >> 15 more patients have been rushed to nearby hospitals. in boston, the scene unfolding there tonight. authorities have taken dozens of people from a boston hotel directly to a hospital for screenings after attending a conference where several people tested posttive. boston's may to have upon the. >> we have new information there are three new cases of coronavirus of best residents tracing back to the same biogen meeting. >> hospitals testing outside the hospital and sending them home to wait for results. in the new york city area, 400,000 people under self-quarantine. this is what the governor said today. >> this is like the flu on steroids. >> the cases doubling in the

last 24 hour, jumping to at least 44. authorities retracing the steps of the man who took the train from westchester to grand central in new york. members of his family testing positive. his neighbor testing positive, too. now one of the first doctors to treat him as coronavirus. late today president trump traveling to the cdc in atlanta after his trip was abruptly canceled for a time this morning. the president said the reason he did not go at first, fears someone at the cdc might be infected. at the cdc this afternoon, president trump insisting the federal government has the coronavirus outbreak under control. the head of the cdc agreed. >> at the present time, the general risk to the american public remains low. >> the president also declared coronavirus tests are available the anybody who needs them. >> anybody who needs a test gets a test. they're there. they have the test, and they're

beautiful. >> that comes amid questions if the tests are available. this is what dr. anthony fauci said just last night. >> up to this point, there has been a lag in the ability cance classes or holding lessons online. new york citile skoos are preparing plans for remote learning if they need to take action and quickly. the university of the washington teaching classes online after a faculty member tested positive. the food and drug administration is warning shortages of one generic drug without revealing which one. concern antibiotics could run out. many made in factories in china where factories are shut down. in italy alone, at least 49 people died in just the last 24 hours. that country restricting access

to nursing homes. at the vatican they have reported their first case. a medical clinic is being closed down for sterilization. the ripple effect across the country tonight. we spoke with the surgeon general moments before we came on air tonight. we wanted to know about the urgent scene off the coast of california. how they're going get help to the patients, keep thousands of americans safe, and how to keep communities safe here in the u.s. if they bring patients here to be treated. here as what dr. adams said. >> dr. adams, thanks for joining us tonight. i want to get to the news this evening. mike pence revealing late this afternoon the first test results to come back off the cruise ship off the coast of california. they tested 46 people. 21 of them have tested positive. the vice president saying those people may be quarantined or take ton bases in california. how will this work and what about the thousands on board that ship? we saw how quickly this spread

on last ship. >> well, this is a rapidly moving the situation, both the coronavirus itself and also dealing with the cruise ship that we have going on -- coming off the coast of san francisco. we've got literally people working 24/7 to make sure we're testing people and that we're coming up away plan to appropriately care for the people on that ship. and i'm confident that we will come up with a solution that adequately addresses the many different factors that are at play. but again, it's really difficult when you have almost 4,000 people who you're trying to figure out where to place. >> dr. adams, that's what i'm asking about, whether or not there is a plan be what that plan looks like. >> you heard the vice president say there might be a quarantine for those who test positive or the u.s.t be broht basere how will this work is this. >> again, there will probably be an element of different parts to that planle they'll probably be

using some of the bases. at the task force meeting i know that was discussed. there will probably be some element of home quarantining. but right now, we can't say. we just can assure the american people that we've got the best folks in the country working on this. we've got military, cdc, and public health service, and we'll get back to you as soon as we have a plan. >> how will you assure communities who may be treating some of these patients that you'll be able to keep everybody in the communities safe as well? >> again, that's part of the communication plan. when we have a plan to announce to the american people, part of that plan will include communicating to the community how they can feel safe. but more to come on that. you're aware of the concern across the country tonight when it comes to the number of test kits out there. dr. fauci said there's been a real lag in the ability to get tested are there enough kits in the country tonight for people who feel they need to get

tested? >> the president said people who need to get tested will be tested. i have been in connecticut. the state lab is testing. they have excess capacity. i spoke with a georgia health officer today for quite a while they did 30 tests yesterday. they have to capacity to do more. we know every state lab now has the ability to do testing and next week we expect there will be up to 1 million or more tests available but partnerships with private industries. >> dr. adams, thanks for joining us here tonight. we appreciate it. dr. adams joining us talking about test kits in the country. more on that tonight. but the situation off the coast of california, it became abundantly clear there isn't a plan yet. >> immediately my mind goes to the family members of those people on that ship. i think in a crisis or medical situation that has taken a turn, information and the conveying of that information is critically important. everyone needs to be on the same

page. and ultimately you have to be able to figuratively or literally look in the yays of someone who's nervous and say, here's what's going to happen. these are the steps we're going take to help you and restore your health, and we haven't heard that yet. >> what's going to be puzzling for people at home is we've seen what can happen on a cruise ship. this is happening not in slow motion buck in realtime in front of us. how can there be no plan? we want to get back to where all this began. ground zero, wuhan china, identifying the mystery illness in late december. from there, the virus spreading like wildfire. where did the virus start? bob woodruff and ian pannell on that part of the story. >> wuhan is a huge city of about

11 million people. it's about in the middle of the country, near beijing going sourt towarsouth. >> wuhan is filled with people. it's a highly populated city. the a perfect mega city for a virus to thrive. it's early december when local doctors notice a mysterious flulike illness appearing in hospitals. >> there were people getting very, very sick. they were needing ventilators to breathe. they were having severe pneumonia. >> the first alarm bell that was rung was by a group of doctors in wuhan who had a chat group amongst themselves. >> this message was posted by a doctor. >> seven sars cases were confirmed in the market. tell your family and loved ones to take precaution. >> turns out it's not sars but experts are worried this virus

may have jumped from animals to humans. sars it was traced to bats. >> they traced it the a wet market in wuhan. >> for sale, every kind of fish, reptile, insect, and other animal imaginable. >> the chinese government they were furious at dr. li for spreading this information. >> instead of taking that information, sharing it with the public, examining it, what did the chinese authorities do? they accused the doctors of rumor mongering, forcing dr. li to sign this statement, reprimanding him for an illegal act. >> weeks after the first cases appeared to chinese government finally reveals to outbreak to the world health organization. >> translator: viral pneumonia and an unknown cause was identified as a novel

coronavirus. >> whenever we hear, this is now, we haven't seen this before, we have no history on this, the hairs stand on edge. >> it was on january 11th when we got the first report that somebody had died from this. >> tonight authorities confirm it is being spread from human to human. >> for the very first time they come out and same or similar circumstance say, this is not just spread by eating some animal at a market, this is person to person transmission. >> that's what makes it more important to react to. >> making the situation even more dire, the outbreak is happening right before the chinese new year. >> this could not have been worse timing. >> a mass number of people will be traveling in china and over the borders back and forth and flying to other countries. >> we have just come through hong kong airport. we have seen a temperature check with women holding special devices designed to check the temperature of the passengers as they come through the airport. a lot of people wearing masks

but that's not untypical here in hong kong. >> to get as close to the hot spot as possible, i head the wuhan. when i got to the airport it seemed almost empty. i've never seen it like this before. this is the international section of the airport and there's hardly anybody here. that day, the chinese international health commission gives its first press conference. too late to stop the spread, although the chinese government says it acted without delay. >> the virus might mutate and the is at risk for spreading further. >> i get out without time to spare, and the entire plane is filled with people, sold-out. looks like everybody on this plane is wearing a mask. i do not see anybody without it. the next day on the 23rd, the government came out and said, people of wuhan, you cannot

leave that city. you cannot fly out. you cannot train out. million os people trapped in their own homes. >> it's never been done in history. >> almost seems like science fiction, this gigantic city with empty streets. that's what the city was becoming. >> this is the view from my window. it's been really good weather tod today, but we're not going out. my dad told me, we can't go out now. we can't get out of our apartment. >> i'm very concerned about getting this virus. i'm not even 100 meters away from the hospital that's full. i've seen people entering that hospital. i've seen people getting rolled out on stretchers out of that hospital. >> i think it was fairly clear from the early stages we were not getting the whole picture. the reality on the ground was different from the narrative

being given to us by the party, by the government. >> skeptics take it upon themselves to report on conditions. but this self-described citizen journalist in japan soon feared the police were on to him. >> soon after he suddenly stopped posting. but the doctor reprimanded for trying to raise an early alarm, the injustice of the state is cruelly outdone by the merciless virus. he is infected, and he dies. to the amazement of the watching world, they build new hospitals almost overnight. but twirling cranes and bright new wards can't stop this virus from spreading across country and borders. this hospital is now the center

of the jut breoutbreak in south. there are more than 200 patients inside, and all of them have covid-19. the most striking thing was seeing those ambulances that never seemed to stop coming for the entire time that we were in this hospital. and every single ambulance had someone inside who had covid-19. south korea's turbo powered detection program, testing tens of thousands. away from the hospital, we discovered the covid-19 outbreak has a distinct sound -- silence. we're in the city center in one of the main urban areas. just listen to how quiet it is. it was a city where life had been suspended. this week, south korea's president declaring war on the virus, mobilizing troops in

hazmat uniforms to disinfect the streets and alleys of seoul. meanwhile, this story is mushrooming. i mean, it is really growing around you, around you, around you, and suddenly, you're surrounded by it. you're in it. we chased the story until, in effect, it caught us. back from asia, a crew and i are following government guidelines quarantining ourselves for two weeks. and this is it. this is quarantine. and it's a very, very strange experience. it's quite lonely. it's quite isolating. it's the right thing to do. there was no alternative. because what i've realized having covered this up close is that unless we all act in the best interest of each other, then it makes containment all

the more difficult. >> thanks to ian pannell and to bob woodruff tonight. much more ahead on this special edition of "20/20: outbreak: what you need to know." dr. jen ash ton and her team are here taking your questions tonight. use the #ask abc 2020. the cruise ship becoming one of the biggest outbreaks outside of china. the diamond princess docked outside japan. what we learned on that ship. how lethal coronavirus can be and what they've learned from that ship already. so many of you at home concerned about this. you have been tweeting questions -- is it safe to travel? is it safe to fly? how long does the coronavirus stay on surfaces? dr. jen and the team answering that as we continue. later tonight, the virus hunters who put their lives on the line trying to figure out how these viruss start and why this one is spreading so

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we're going to turn next tonight to all that news coming in concerning cruise ships around the world. take a look at this. the cruise ship tracker showing how many passenger ships are sailing around the world now. as the grand princess remains off the coast of california can those 21 confirmed cases on board, state officials a are are to avoid a similar -- essentially calling it a petri dish. what did we learn? here's maggie rulli tonight. >> reporter: it was supposed to be the perfect vacation. a two-week long cruise exploring the beauty of southeast asia for

adventure seekers. >> we decided to take a six-month adventure for our first retirement trip. >> i purchased this as a christmas gift for my wife. >> reporter: and for ten glorious days the cruise ship delivered. >> this was our first trip to southeast asia, so we were excited about seeing japan. we went to vietnam, hong kong, taiwan. that was a thrill. >> reporter: that is until an uninvited passenger made it way on board, covid-19, aka the coronavirus. >> when you think about the physical environment of a cruise ship you're talking at about a confined space packed with thousands of people. if they carry an infectious organism or pathogen, elevators lly t quite perfect s, you have storm for an infection to go haywire. >> reporter: it's day five when the diamond princess and its

guests dock in hong kong. that's where an older man in his 80s with a cough and fever leaves the ship. no one knew it at the time but days later he would be diagnosed with covid-19. >> had a good time in hong kong. didn't say anything about a virus of any kind. >> the diamond princess cons its journey, the ship only finding out about its virus on its way back to port in yokohama.kohamaa they impose rules. no one did leave. the entire ship is under a 14-day quarantine. guests are confined to their rooms with some describing it as a floating prison. i appreciate you sharing your time and story with us. >> all we have is time. >> reporter: i start face timing with them about a week into the quarantine. >> i'm going to take you out here and show you what it looks

like. >> reporter: okay. have you gotten used to that at all. >> no. >> i will kind of show you around. i measured it out because i had nothing else to do. it was 8 feet by 15 feet. that includes the bathroom and everything. >> reporter: >> reporter: they have no window and their room. every few days they were allowed to go outside for an hour but they're told to stay several feet away from other passengers. >> this is the first time we have been out in the and one it's beautiful. >> reporter: the japanese government has been questioned over its quarantine strategy, namely to keep people on the ship where the infection could spread. the doctor who visited for a day called the quarantine chaotic. >> i was so scared of getting covid-19 because there was no way to tell where the virus is. >> reporter: one japanese official admitted the quarantine

wasn't perfect. some of the crew was infected and may have passed along the virus while working. >> there was no single professional infection control person inside the ship. >> reporter: overall, more than 700 people tested positive for covid-19. six have died. >> it's not just, do we keep them on or let them off. the risk/benefit calculus needed to be made and it turned out the wrong decision was made. >> reporter: it was during that quarantine john harrington gets sick. >> i have 36.7. >> reporter: spiking a fever and testing positive. >> his feever is now 103 again. just trying to keep him cool and comfortable. >> reporter: he's evacuated to a hospital in japan, leaving his wife melanie back on the ship. by february 15th after 26 days on board, the u.s. state department decides to fly the remaining american passengers,

including melanie and carl and jerry goldman back to the u.s. for treatment and additional quarantine. the goldmans think their vacation nightmare might soon be over, but sadly it's not. >> when we left the ship, we had no idea we were carrying the virus. >> reporter: carl develops a fever on the plane ride back and hours later tests positive for the virus. the california couple is sent halfway across the country to the university of nebraska medical sent near omaha. >> they decide to put me in an ambulance with a full motorcade. i felt like i was either the president or the queen of england. >> reporter: that's because not all hospitals are created equal. this place is uniquely qualified for a crisis. it has a biocontainment unit. >> there were two tv cameras set up in there. i was hooked up to a number of monitors. everyone who came in to see me wore a hazmat outfit. >> reporter: this week our team visited the facility, which was last used during the 2014 ebola

outbreak. >> we put on our gown. >> reporter: our tour guide. >> this is something approved for patients who have covid-19. >> reporter: we have an all >> i have been feeling better and better every day. >> reporter: tonight, carl goldman is still in that hospital in nebraska. no word yet on when he will be able to le for john and melanie harrington, the news is better. she's finally leaving quarantine in california. >> we're going home. i love you. >> reporter: john finally leaving that hospital in japan. >> i can't wait to put my arms around you. >> reporter: and earlier this week at an airport in utah, that's exactly what he did. >> reporter: we just held on tight. couldn't let each other go for a while. >> reporter: coming home has

never felt so good. >> our thanks to maggie rulli tonight who's been reporting on this for weeks. john and melanie are home safely in utah. they're feeling better. they're in self-quarantine. inside the quarantine unit they got a new patient. angie who you just saw giving us a tour of the unit she oversees is treating a patient tonight. angie is with us. thank you so much for not only what you're doing but for joining us tonight. what can you tell us about the new patient? how's the patient doing? >> thank you for having me. i can tell you that we did admit another individual patient to our facility, and i think our team is taking every step to make sure we get a thorough evaluation and provide the highest level of care for that individual. >> the governor announcing this case today said people should prepare as to be at home for an extended amount of time. you're on the front lines, seeing how powerful the virus

is, how easily it can spread. what would you say to people trying to prepare for if it comes into their community? is there anything they can do to protect themselves? >> what i would relay to people is they should be preparing for themselves and their families. the number one lesson i want people to take home is if they are ill, even if it's mild, they should be in contact with their local health department, take the. proer precautions, cover their cough, watch their hands and if they are ill, stay home so you don't spread illness to people who may be more vulnerable than you are. >> which is so important. you talk about washing your hands, which sounds so simple, but that is the primary way this is transmitted, if you wash your hands. people are talk about how chapped their hands are now, but it really makes a difference. >> right. it does make a difference. when of a res power story pathogen that's airborne droplet spread you want the make sure

any hands that are touching surfaces and your face, mucus membranes are clean. >> we're thinking about you too as well tonight, angie and all the first responders on the front line of this. the health care workers across the country. you have a 4-year-old son at home. you're treating coronavirus patients, going home. i'm sure there's a lot going through your mind about how safe that is and any kind of harm you might possibly be putting your family in. how do you balance that between your job and caring for your family? >> i think that's exactly the reason i continue do this job because i want to make sure we have health care workers that are trained to provide the highest level of care in the safest way possible so we can protect or friends, family, our loves ones and our community to mitigate the spread specifically of this covid-19 pathogen.

>> go home thank you for your service. we talked about the health care worker on the front lines in the hospitals and the biocontainment units. it's a huge risk. >> it is. important for us to hear from a registered nurse. so often you hear from just doctors. but you have to remember, inside hops it's not just doctors, nurses. it's technicians, transporters. . they're doing the analogy of runs into a fire when everyone else is running out. >> want to get to the first viewer question. should you take a cruise right now? >> that is probably the most common question, and i think it really depends on your risk tolerance. risk versus going, risk versus staying home. benefit going, benefit staying home. cruise ships are highly concentrated. airlines the same thing.

we heard about tray tables carrying back tier yam you have to decide who you are, if you are risk factor, where you're going, how important it is to go. i can tell you i have a lot of travel coming up for work and right now i haven't canceled it. >> you haven't canceled it. you're sitting on the plane. you have a passenger next to you and they cough or sneeze. can it be transmitted through the air? >> it is, but we have to remember, common things occur commonly. it's more likely they have a cold than coronavirus. >> thank you. a lot more questions to come. just the ip the of the iceberg. when we come back, the new warning from the world health organization. the alarming number. they said, this is not a drill. they estimate the death is 3.4% from coronavirus system that accurate? will more testing here bring that down? reality check on that tonight. also, the alarming numbers from italy. the streets of a famous city now empty. look at these images tonight -- the major stadiums going silent.

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plus, get $300 off when you buy a new samsung galaxy s20 ultra. that's simple. easy. awesome. call, click or visit a store today. we're going to move on tonight here to the global spread of the coronavirus. the world health organization announcing it's 100,000 around the world. deaths surpassing 3,300. you heard the death rate, 3.4%. we'll ask jen about that in a moment. the director of w.h.o. announcing this is not a drill. it's keeping people away from

the world's biggest attractions. fm n europe, containment became almost impossible. soon, the true scale of the problem became even clearer. italy, the epicenter of an outbreak with 3,858 cases and 148 dead. but for me, the story start in the milan. a scattering of tourists outside the cathedral restricted to tourists only. so much of the city on lockdown. >> the italians have taken drastic action. the focus has been on the 11 towns in the northern region, which have been put under quarantine. this is the police line. take a look on google maps. you can see every way in and blocked off. i spoke to people inside these towns. they were told when they went to

the supermarket, took over an hour to get inside. people worry about getting their food. lives continued to be upended. this 23-year-old italian resident showed us her new reality. >> as you can see, there's almost nothing there. nothing in here. and throughout, people wearing face masks everywhere. our lives were turned upside down in a matter of hours, basically. >> practically overnight, italy became the country with the largest outbreak anywhere in europe. authorities still have no idea who patient zero is. that means we have no idea how long the virus has even been in the country or how many people may be affected.

>> there's almost something movie like about the virus creeping amongst us. milan not under quarantine, but fear of contagion turned these streets unusually quiet. >> people are behaving differently. if you look inside these shops they're empty. for them it's going to have a massive impact. >> public spaces are a vulnerability. milan canceled lessons. libraries, gyms, schools closed all across the city. tourism and fashion, the life blood of the economy taking a major hit. places like these have real problems with production. giorgio armani it was a pivotal moment when his show had to be closed to the public. >> models walking runway without a public. it's important to do things look that when there's enough risk.

it really could save lives. >> this is milan's china town. basically every single shop or restaurant or cafe is closed. it is fair to say along with the virusing a sense of anti-asian sentiment is creeping. report of -- against asian people are on the rise. there was even a headline in france that led yellow alert and panic spread almost faster than the virus itself. >> ukraine is the perfect example of what you see when just fear erupts, having violent clashes with police. these ukrainian citizens coming back home, it was all over because they thought the virus was being brought into their country. >> as the virus continued to jump borders the iranian authorities were blamed for underreporting their outbreak. in iran it got absolutely extraordinary conference by the deputy health minister and the spokesman saying there's nothing to worry about.

>> unfortunately he was diagnosed with coronavirus. the public is really affected by the messaging from our officials. >> with the beds in the hospitals filling up, a medical intern spoke out about his concerns that the iranian public was not listening. >> the number of cases there keeps increasing. the death toll keeps increasing. we're seeing dozens of high ranking politicians coming down with potentially a deadly virus, and because of the nature of that government, there's still so much unknown about are those numbers accurate and what they're doing to contain the virus. >> today iran has closed mosques in affected areas and even the holiest site in islam, mecca s

closed to foreign visitors. for europe, freedom of movement is what defines it. unlike china, there can be no crockdo crackdown here, so the virus may prove harder to detain. >> james longman tonight. thanks to james. i did want the bring dr. jen ashton back in. he reported on the world health organization. we've heard the director say the death rate from coronavirus is 3.4%. we heard 2% up until now. >> i would encourage people, don't get caught up on a number, the numbers have been elusive from the beginning. until we know truly how many people are ineffected, fatal rates inside of china, outside of china, on the diamond princess cruise ship and all over the place. the more people tested the more people we know are truly ineffected, that number will go down. >> the key point is the more

people tested the more we realize they have coronavirus and the 80% number, mild symptoms, right? let's get to the viewer questions. they have been tweeting me. lin wants to know, at what temperature should one seek medical treatment or be tested. >> i was just talking to dr. simone wiles here. it's 100.4 or above. that's what we define as a fever, right? >> what other simpymptoms would alarming to you? >> shortness of breath, difficulty breathing. if you have underlying medical conditions, diabetes, those are the conditions that are hard to have manage at home and you want to see your physician. >> you brought up underlying conditions. you both know that's a question we're also getting. someone wrote i'm in remission.

i'm very concerned. as are so many people who have preexisting conditions. what would you say to them tonight? is there anything they can do to protect themselves ahead of time. >> as we have been talking about it, the same thing goes for coronavirus as influenza season. you want to keep your immune system as solid as it can be. be in touch with your provider and remember, common things occur commonly, so more likely to be the common cold or flu. when we come back on the special edition of the "20/20" we go along with the virus hunters going straight to ground zero. what they risked their lives to find. back in a moment. (pirate girl) ahoy!!!!! (excited squeal, giggling/panting) gotcha! (man) ah! (girl) nooooooooooooo! (man) nooooo! (girl) nooooo...

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so, next tonight right here on "20/20," so much effort around the world as we're on the air tonight trying to find the clues to stop the tidal wave of coronavirus cases. >> because covid-19 is a new virus it knows no border, circulating around the globe. doctors on the front lines are scrambling to try to deal with it but there's another front line trying to find the viruss before they find us, and they're called virus hunters. >> bats are absolutely amazing creatures. >> bats are special. and there's a lot of interest right now in bats because of the viruss they carry. >> bats are a known reservoir for coronaviruses.

>> we don't know why they're able to life with so many viruss at such a high level. >> they have a very interesting physiology. we don't fully understand it. >> it's possible at bbats couldd the key to understand anding maybe conquering the coronavirus. >> they're exposed to a virus they can stamp it right out. >> the scientists don't know exactly where the new coronavirus came from. the leading most likely originated in bats and then likely jumped to infect an animal and appeared to jump to infect humans. on the front lines are the virus hunters. these are the people that identify the source, determine the transmission, and then work to stop the spread of the virus. >> virus hunters are scientists whose job it is to go out and

find new viruss. they will be working in very remote areas around the world, catching wildlife, and sampling them and testing the samples for new viruss. >> there are people going live markets where animals are soldle they're going caves where bats are flapping around. places where wild animals are migrating. >> what we try to do is try to hunt them down in their natural reservoirs. >> i am one of the creators and executive producers of a new netflix series called "pandemic, how to prevent an outbreak" the message of the series is we are vulnerable all the time to new viruss coming out. fortunately there are people working around the world to try to protect us. >> people like dr. gazi

scientist that traveled for years studying the link between virus of humans and animals. >> they are providing a chance for the viruss to cross from the animal population to the human population. >> reporter: >> covid-19 is not yet a pandemic, but even before this current outbreak, these brave detectives were on the trail of such pathogens. >> we have to follow the virus. where is the virus located. >> in our documentary you see denis carol -- >> my main responsibility is trying to prevent the emerging viral threats. >> he's looking specifically the aifivian threats, threats f birds. >> our big goal is to see what's prevalence of the flu in these ducks. >> deb carter is a field

veterinarian and gets groups of hunters together, and they go out and capture the birds, testing to see what types of viruss might be migrating. >> virus hunters are currently traveling around the world, keeping an eye out for the next big disease. >> we plotted the origin of every known emerging disease. hot spots in southeast asia, central and west africa, and latin america. those are the places if we really want to find the next pandemic before it a merges that's where we need to be working. >> their work is fascinating and daring all in one. you were saying in your piece that this went from we believe a bat to an animal to humans. we don't know the animal at all. >> we don't. but so many people are asking questions about animals, david, from bats to animals and asking us about their pets. >> only two known cases of a pet so far with any type of case

with coronavirus. you think it just had it on the nose. >> that is correct, they could have just picked it up from contact. they were not showing any symptoms. the world of veterinarian medicine watching pets. not dogs but cats also. >> there's no evidence people passed it to pets. >> that's right, but common sense, keep your distance just like a person. >> they are our kids too. still ahead, we're on the front lines tonight. americans stocking up on supplies, emptying out the stores. how much should you be preparing without creating panic? still questions about whether the virus is being spread through the air, and if so, how far does it travel? also, hearing from someone inside the nursing home in washington state. what we're hearing from the inside tonight. and what you should know if you

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all it takes is just that one person to start an outbreak. >> this is tragedy. we have to get on top of this. >> tonight we're live for a breaking news edition of the "20/20," as the epidemic hits home, state by state, day by day. can we contain it? >> many people who are infected with this virus don't know they have been infected. how do you keep panic and fear from spreading along with the virus? >> i think coronavirus feels scarier right now because we

don't know about it. where as something like the flu, we have lived through. >> are we ready? >> we have been ready. we have a great infrastructure in the united states. >> tonight we're taking you inside e.r.s and hospital drills. those fights on the front line, risking their own safety. virus hunters in a race against time searching for a cure. do bats hold the key? our experts live in the studio, addressing your questions and your fears. >> so, help us get solutions for what to do with the people right now. >> outbreak, what you need to know. once again, david muir. >> good evening again, everyone. welcome back to this live special edition of the "20/20" tonight, what you need to know right now about coronavirus. there has been news breaking by the hour about this virus spreading here in the united states. right now at least 320 cases and 15 deaths reported in the u.s. lon. vice president mike pence late

today saying of the 46 people test sod far on that cruise ship, 21 people have tested positive on the ship off california, including 19 crew members. and tonight, austin texas canceling south by southwest the annual event drawing hundreds of thousands of people. we're going to begin the second hour in one of the most troubling hot spot in the country. washington state reporting 15 deaths, more than any other state in the country, and most of those cases coming from the life care nursing home. we are now hearing from someone inside that nursing home describing what it's like to be trapped inside. kaylee hartung from washington state. >> reporter: it's a lot quieter around seattle since the state of the washington has become the front line of the coronavirus. >> washington state. >> washington. >> kirkland, washington.

>> reporter: the life care center, a nursing home in the seattle suburbs. the majority of the deaths are here. as the death toll climbed the facility went into isolation as an effort to contain the virus. family members say the flow of information slowed as well. i ran into colleen mallory taking matters into her own hands. >> we're going to see my mom. haven't heard much from the facility about her, so we just wanted to make sure she's okay. i'm going bring her some clean clothes. we don't know if we can get in today, but we're going to try. >> reporter: come clelleen was o get in to see her mother. >> it was real eerie in there. the majority of the doors were closed. i saw very few staff. my mom was in bed and there was about 11:30. do they have the staff to get these people out of bed? >> the problem is nursing home settings and retirement centers

like this have many patients who are inimmune compromised and have things that place them at risk. unfortunately they're a captive audience at risk. >> reporter: that's the fear pat had for her mother elaine. >> she spoke with me sunday and was really depressed. >> reporter: four days later pat got a devastating call. >> at 3:30 this morning, i got a phone call. this very gracious nurse, got bless her, she said, i'm so sorry to tell you your mother passed. >> reporter: later that morning, the phone rang again. it was a representative of the corporate head quarters. >> i just want the check in with you and let you know your mother doesn't have a temperature. >>. i said, that's [ bleep ].

my mother died at 3:30 this morning. she said, oh, my god, that wasn't in the chart. >> reporter: carmen gray's mother is still in the home. >> she's very scared and, anyone who has a parent knows you don't want to hear those words. >> reporter: way spoke to her mother a few hours ago. >> do i want to leave? yes. absolutely yes. it's not the people aren't nice. it's that i don't like being trapped. and i am. >> reporter: i reached out to life care center several times this week, with no response, however they did issue a statement on their website. life care center ofcontinngo ov our residents. our clinical team is making personal one-on-one phone calls. and officials say they're

working on a plan that may allow some residents to leave. those family members left to fear what news will be on the other end of the line. >> they can't let those people sit there. waiting for this virus to i attack them. i know. i'm afraid it's too late. >> kaylee hartung reporting from washington state. and the anguish for so many with relatives in that home. to give you an idea of how fast this is spreading in the united states, seven states reporting cases. half the country now, 27 states with coronavirus. as the virus make its way across the nation, how do you tell communities to prepare without creating panic? here's deborah roberts. >> reporter: mira safety says their military grade gas masks and hazmat suits are no high

demand. >> regular people who are looking for ways to protect themselves in case this becomes a much bigger threat. >> the reality, we don't need gas masks. we don't need hazmat suits. >> reporter: are people going too far to be buying hazmat suits and masks in large quantities? >> nobody's recommending people guy res praters. that is certainly overboard. >> when you hear public health officials say everything's fine, don't panic, i think it runs the risk of being dismissive and actually causing people to panic. it's very important to say, we don't know. >> you have this chronic, high-level of anxiety over, am i going to get infected with coronavirus? you have people going out, trying to stockpile on masks, trying to stockpile on food for months. >> we got dry food and a lot of food. >> the end of the line for the toilet paper is right here.

>> reporter: in some parts of the country, endless lines and empty shelves a new reality. >> we are seeing price gouging. things like $100 for a bottle of purell on amazon. >> reporter: amazon pledging to crack down on price gougers. >> this is going to make people more controlling the hysteria, battling with facts is going to be important. >> about 83% of people who are infected with coronavirus and symptomatic have mild illness. you could be walking around carrying the virus and not even know it. >> i'm just going to say, should we shake hands? no shaking hands right now. >> reporter: dr. sara is a pathogens drr who studies -- >> how long it landed on u.s. soil? >> you could have had somebody

that travelled here to the united states and started the community transmission. >> scientists expect that this coronavirus started to spread in the united states over a month ago. >> reporter: were there missteps in the beginning in trying to diagnose the illness? >> i think it's no secret we were caught flatfooted. >> some experts said we probably lost about three weeks in terms of our overall preparedness and surveillance. >> that led to question about, who is infected? >> if everybody panics and everybody starts pointing fingers at italians -- we won't go to the italian restaurant or chiends restaurant, that's the kind of disruption, suffering that could impact many people. >> that's already happening. >> woks are cold, tables empty. china town deserted. >> reporter: this restaurant owner says business is down about 50%. >> it's empty.

people are very concerned. we understand their feelings. but actually it's hurting us too. >> reporter: and yesterday it escalated to this disturbing facebook video after an asian man being sprayed with air freshener on sunday. police investigating it as a hate crime. >> it's normal for some people to be scared. it's critically important to be able to respond to a public health crisis based on fact and not fear and evidence and not emotion. >> so various states are either canceling mass gatherings or doing different things to help reduce the transmission in their community. >> reporter: just hours ago, the famous south by southwest festival canceled. >> it's a very sad day for me today. we just had to cancel the arnold's classic sports and fitness festival. >> reporter: arnold schwarzenegger postponing his

hugely popular fitness festival. >> we want to keep people safe. we want to keep people healthy. >> reporter: your advice to people who are fearful. >> i would say, let's ramp down the fear we're all going to die and focus our attention on the concerns for the very vulnerable among us. >> we're all in this together. these outbreaks show us our common humanity and we do need to fight them as a species. >> deborah roberts reporting tonight. so many of your questions coming in. one of the main questions -- when you get tested for this, which temperature? 100.4, to the very least call your doctor. questions coming in about pregnant women. how can they protect themselves? if you get the virus once, can you get it again? and how many people in america might have caught this without know something we'll get the that coming up. also, coronavirus and the economy. what happens when your job is

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next tonight here we've all been watching a glaring realtime ripple effect from the coronavirus anxiety felt around the world. so many american small businesses -- companies are allowing employees to work from home, but what if your company doesn't allow that, if you work in a restaurant orce to that? here's rebecca jarvis tonight. >> reporter: we reached out the small business owners across america away question -- how is the crisis hitting the homeland? >> my eight main suppliers are currently closed. >> my other vendors are having delays with some of their factories zblchlkt the impact has been 100%. we're not able to ship. >> from toys to clothing to gardening supplies, companies across the country rely on chinese factories, now shut down by the outbreak.

>> about 80% of our companies have something in them from china. >> the great majority of the goods in bridle are manufacture in the china. things are taking longer than ever. >> reporter: our greatest concern is not the day-to-day sales being lost it's losing customers. >> reporter: the consequences have been devastating. >> we're estimating $5 million in losses. >> china's our sole supplier. made in china. having not received product in the last seven weeks we can't invoice anything to our customers. >> reporter: becky is the -- shop for ties. >> my dad started it in 1982 in the basement. >> looks like we'll finish off quarter one 30% to 50% below quarter one last year. obviously worst case scenario is jobs need to be cut. i like to think that's not

what's going to happen buck as a small business owner you stay up late at night and worry about a lot of things. >> reporter: major american corporations worry too. apple warned of a temporary shortage. the airlines are expects to lose $113 billion in sales and pharmaceutical companies are bracing for possible shortages too. 80% of drugs consumed in the u.s. come from china and india, so. >> it's an economic pandemic. efforts to contain the virus and stop the spread of it means shutting down factories, shutting down schools. >> reporter: it's a pressure cooker that hit a boiling point last week with a massive sell-off on wall street. >> stocks plunging as coronavirus rattles investors. >> this outbreak is beginning to have an impact on the economy. >> wall street ending one of the worst weeks of trading since the

financial crisis of >> reporter: with stocks erasing gains for the year, companies are taking major measures. many organizations are now limiting employee travel and economists are now asking, how might you respond? >> so, the u.s. consumer makes up over 70% of the u.s. economy. and that's where we do see significant risk. if you don't buy a sweater in march, you're not going rebuy one in may. the consumers are afraid to believe their home and go to public places. these are lost sales and lost economic activity that doesn't just get made up again in a few week ♪ will it be a quick rebound or are things going to have a longer lasting itin lasting imp? >> this is going to be a real test on the workplace and how we

change with the times. >> this is uncharted territory. so many companies telling their employees to work from home. a number of others are running drills. even parts of the government are running drills about what it might look like to work from home. where it gets tricky is with restaurant workers, factory workers that can't adjust to the scenario. >> do they still get paid? who will pay them? >> exact will i. >> rebecca, thanks so much. when we come back we'll talk live with an e.r. doctor in new york with thousands under self-quaranti self-quarantine. of course the man who took the train from westchester to grand central. who are they bracing now for here in new york? in a moment. this is how it made me feel. it was like that feeling when you go to high-five a coworker, and you do a perfect high-five. everyone is really excited for you because it was such a great high-five.

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next tonight here on this live edition of the "20/20," fighting fears on the front lines. right now in hospital emergency rooms across the country and new york city. i want to bring in an e.r. drr in charge of preparedness at 18 affiliated hospitals here in the new york area. doctor, thanks for joining us. i want to get to the bottom line. there's been so much talk about whether or not there's enough testing kits across the country. do you have the test kits you need tonight, and are people allowed to come into the e.r. to get tested? if so, who are you deciding to test? >> currently all testing is being done through local health departments and the cdc. the test kits were released this week and those were to start preparing to run the labs for yourselves. that's a process that takes validation and ittup of the

labs. we're hoping next week to do our own testing. at the moment no one's doing testing other than state and local hospital departments. >> that's interesting. what are you seeing in the e.r. so far? i'm sure there are a lot of nerves and you have to balance who you treat and who you suggest to be tested. how are you gauging that? >> so, all decisions of tests are being done in conjunction with speaking to the department of the health. at this point those most at risk for severe disease. those with a moderate disease, mild flulike illness we haven't been testing. but the testing has been reserved for those people who are at most risk. >> doctor, i know you're prepared every season for the flu. are you seeing anything atypical now? do you think you're already starting to see the beginning of this here in new york? >> yeah, we're already seeing

the beginning of it. there have been a few cases in the area as you know. it's not been overwhelming as far as volume, although there's a lot of anxiety. >> dr. deangelo work appreciate what you're doing on the front lines. jen, how do you know when it's time to get to the emergency room or your doctor right away? we've mentioned the temperature, 100,.4, but what else should you be looking for? >> i think the other thing is people shouldn't try to be their own doctor or nurse here. you should be in communication with your doctor. but i was just talking to dr. simone wiles. you're an infectious disease specialist from right outside boston. tell me how you're telling people to go through the situation, whether they should stay home or come in. >> the patients we try to get in the hospital are those that have symptoms -- having a hard time breathing, high fevers, having a hard time taking care of

themselves at home. so you want to come in because we want to assess you to see how you're doing. >> certainly someone with a weakened immune system, who's pregnant, with chronic or preexisting medical conditions those are people you want to see in the hospital. >> absolutely, and you don't want them to be at home. >> it's important to remember the e.r.s are >> thanks to the whole team over there. more questions to come. when we come back we'll take you into one of the testing labs you heard dr. deangelo talking about. you're going to see the testing under way tonight for coronavirus. and more of your questions answered. pregnant women, who they should be looking out for. the question we keep getting from people -- if you're walking down the street, on a plane, someone coughs, how far can that travel in the air and for how long? we're back in a moment. front loader odor. you know that smell... when you open your funky front load washer.

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doubling again in just the last 24 hours here in new york city, and this evening an abc news exclusive, our cameras inside a new york state lab testing for the coronavirus. several thousand people have been ordered to self-quarantine in new york, many of them linked to just one patient. here's abc's whit johnson.

>> reporter: this is new rochelle new york, once known as the home of the y2ks slugger lieu gehrig. but this week has become known for something more ominous. the center of new york's coronavirus outbreak. >> it wasn't a question of if, but when. >> reporter: on tuesday andrew cuomo announced that a resident has become the second person in the state to test positive for covid-19. >> we have a case in westchester. our information is that the gentleman had an underlying res power story illness and he is hospitalized. >> reporter: we know the man is an attorney who works in manhattan, a regular commuter taking this train for the 30 minute ride to grand central

terminal. after arriving at one of the busiest travel hub in the country, it's believed he would have walked to his office blocks away. later transferred to presbyterian in manhattan. taking no chances, the mta launches a effort disenfecting trains and buss and stations. just 24 hours later, what seemed like one family's health emergency causes a remarkable ripple effect with the attorney as wife, son, and daughter, and the neighbor who took him to the hospital all testing positive. >> there are going to be many, many people who test positive. >> reporter: services at the young israel synagogue in new rochelle halted by health officials dueo the concern of the virus. >> this week, when we need information and need to talk to one another, we're all quarantined in our little homes.

>> reporter: by wednesday, fishes are asking more than 1,000 people linked to the attorney to self-quarantine. did you get the sense people are anxious about what will happen next? >> yes, i think people are pretty well decided it's in a sense unstoppable. >> reporter: in just a matter of days, this area a ghost town. >> we have businesses that are struggling because part of their customer base is literally quarantined. >> reporter: yesterday governor cuomo announced 11 more people tested positive for covid-19. >> so that's 22 statewide. >> reporter: the number of people asked to self-quarantine jumping to 2,700. >> the community spread die nam sick unpredictable and worrisome. >> reporter: today abc news getting exclusive access to the new york state lab first in the nation to conduct their own testing for covid-19. >> our team is working 24/7 on

identifying coronavirus. >> we're at about 500 tests per day now. >> we prioritize the categories to be tested to fit with our capacity. >> reporter: governor cuomo announcing the number of individuals testifying positive have increased again. >> during the day today we had 11 new cases. that brings the total to 44 cases. >> reporter: tonight, there are at least 4,000 people throughout new york self-quarantining. >> whit johnson reporting in tonight. when we come back here, dr. jen ashton and the team answering your questions. and is the federal government really ready for what's coming?

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there's news coming in as we're on the air from florida. they just revealed moments ago their first two deaths from the coronavirus tonight. this comes as the paid a visit to the cdc today. they cancelled the visit, saying there might be someone at the cdc infected but then his visit was back on. the white house and officials saying they're trying to stay on message. this is a test of leadership from the local government to the white house. here tonight, linsey davis. >> we're very, very ready for this. we have had tremendous success beyond what people would have thought. >> reporter: as americans are tested, it is also a test of presidential leadership, and it would be for any president. president trump repeatedly tried to reassure. offering this before the situation quickly che its at al

>> reporter: his critics say downplaying warnings from experts who said it was not a kwef of, if but when. >> i don't think it's probably inevitable. it probably will recollect possibly will. >> reporter: he took the step of closing off travel from china where the disease originated. he and top aides claimed he and his foes were hyping fears. >> now the democrats are politicizing the coronavirus. and this is their new hoax. >> reporter: less than 24 hours after the hoax line, a much different scene at the white house. >> at this moment we have 22 patients in the united states currently that have coronavirus. unfortunately, one person passed away overnight. >> reporter: the president sitting down with the heads of pharmaceutical companies and top government scientists who interrupted him away fact check as he talked of a vaccine far

sooner than possible. >> over the next few months you think you will have owe vaccine. >> correct. >> we won't have a vaccine, we'll have a -- >> you're talking about a year. >> reporter: the vice president held daily public briefings with top scientists. yesterday, a stark admission. >> we don't have enough tests today to meet what we anticipate will be the demand going forward. >> reporter: today, the president approved emergency funding for the fight. later sounding upbeat as he toured the cdc in atlanta. >> i like this stuff. i really get it. people are surprised that i understand it. >> reporter: always have to strike a balance with warnings, but critics say it's been a shaky start. >> we saw the moment with the president and dr. fauci. is the white house saying anything about trying not to have the mixed signals? >> reporter: the president put

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so, let's get right back to dr. jen ashton tonight. we have loved your tweets. they're really, really good questions. one we keep getting is about pregnant women. >> are pregnant women at increased danger from coronavirus? there's little data. there's no evidence they can

transmit it to the fetus, though pregnant women do have a weakened immune system. >> one thing, if you're sitting next to someone, and they cough or sneeze, can you get it? >> you can get it but it's not technically airborne. the distance we recommend to stay away is three six feet. i want to show you what that looks like. it's a lot forther than you think. this is six feet. >> that's the distance you would have to keep. >> yes. we think the close for contact and the longer the contact, the more likely to be infected. >> one question about surfaces. >> we don't know about this virus buck other viruss there's a huge range, two hours to nine day. an e range. th h spets,specially your

phones. >> one study, a small study, but went into the rooms where patients had been and found the virus everywhere. they disenfected it. >> it went way down. it appears a variety of cleaning agents are effective against the coronavirus so i think we're going to see a lot of cleaning going on. >> you're the doctor, but you thought with the rapid spread of this, how much our phones are playing a part in all this. this is something new. we have had viruss before. i wonder how much of it is because of the phone that we're >> and we're putting them in dirty places. when you do that testing you're going to find bacteria and viruss on there. but there's so much about this we don't know. we talk about this all the time. in medicine and sigcience, we le certainty, but it takes courage the say what we know and don't

know. >> it's friday night. people are losing an hour because of time change. what can people do to boost their health and guard against it? >> get a little more sleep, get exercise, if you smoke, stop. >> dr. jen, thank you. if you have postmenopausal osteoporosis and a high risk for fracture, now might not be the best time to ask yourself,

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back now on this live edition of the "20/20." a couple nor questions we wanted to get in tonight. people are asking, can you catch this more than once? >> we don't know yet. >> that was easy. difficult answer. don't know yet. do you think there are people in the u.s., here in new york city, who have had this and don't know snit. >> absolutely because we're looking at a tip of the iceberg scenario where people have mild symptoms and don't present for medical testing. >> as the numbers go up it might be more reassuring because we'll ress people had it. >> and so many chris mild. >> i want to leave people with the thought, this number you repeated on the ns thatrswe vet appears 80% of the

people who have coronavirus voo mild cold or flu symptoms. >> absolutely. it's a stressful situation, evolving and we have to proceed based on the evidence and not emotion. >> dr. jen and the entire team, thank you so much. thursday for watching this live version of "20/20." keep sending your questions our way. "nightline" will have more. we'll see you. i'm david muir. good night. breaking news. the grand princess cruise ship moves closer to our coastline

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