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Local residents shop at a supermarket in Seoul, South Korea, on February 24.

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Wang Jingqiang/Xinhua/Getty Images

US citizens have been told to .

The virus, which originated in China, has throughout South Korea, Italy, Japan, and Iran.

The World Health Organization has so far , but some health experts say .

People who want to prepare in advance should keep a two-week supply of food and water and a 30-day supply of prescription medication.

Other measures, like , are unless recommended by a health authority.

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Americans got a dire warning from health officials on Tuesday: Prepare for a coronavirus outbreak.

“It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen,” Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on Tuesday. “We are asking the American public to prepare for the expectation that this might be bad.”

Since then, the Centers for Disease Control have reported several US cases in which patients got the virus unknown sources – they did not travel to China or knowingly interact with anyone who was infected. These instances of community spread suggest the virus is now spreading in the US. The first coronavirus death on US soil was reported on Saturday in Washington state.