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Good morning.

I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

202 for Thursday, February 27th. In today's news, President Trump puts Vice

President Pence in charge of the response to the coronavirus.

Iran struggles to contain the disease, putting the Middle East at risk.

And here at home, the coronavirus forces religious leaders to reconsider Lenten traditions.

But first, the big idea.

The CDC reported last night that a person in Northern California has contracted the coronavirus

without traveling to regions hit by the outbreak or coming in contact with anyone known to have the infection.

How the person acquired the virus remains unknown.

The health agency left open the possibility that the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.

The state of California, however, is calling this case the first instance of community transmission.

Community spread would represent a significant turn for the worse in the battle

against this virus.

To date, the United States has 60 known cases of the infection,

with 59 among people who traveled to Asia

or were close contacts of people who went there.

The vast majority, 42, picked up the virus while quarantined on the Diamond Princess

cruise ship off Japan.

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