WASHINGTON, March 8 — A top US public health official said today signs of coronavirus spreading through US communities was "not encouraging” and warned that Americans may need to think carefully about attending large gatherings if it continues.

"I think we’re getting a better sense (of the scope of the outbreak) as the days go by,” Anthony Fauci, the head of the infectious diseases unit at the National Institutes of Health, said on NBC’s Meet the Press.

"Unfortunately that better sense is not encouraging because we’re seeing community spread,” he said. — Reuters