The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is preparing for the chance of the coronavirus outbreak becoming a pandemic.

The Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases says it's "very possible, even likely" that the virus could spread rapidly through the United States.

The goal of health officials now is to slow the virus down.

The coronavirus erupted in Wuhan, China in December, where almost all of more than 2,000 people have died.

There are more than 76,000 cases globally and over 30 cases here in the United States. There are still no confirmed cases here in New York.