The US now has 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, and it's highly likely there will be more.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has outlined a hypothetical scenario of what could happen in the US as the coronavirus spreads.

It predicts more cases, person-to-person spreading, and an "overwhelmed" and "overloaded healthcare system."

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has provided information about how the novel coronavirus could affect the US.

Globally, the coronavirus, which causes the disease COVID-19, has infected 82,000 people and killed 2,800 people, mostly in China.

On Tuesday, US health officials told the country to prepare for the coronavirus. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a press briefing, "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."

By Wednesday, the US had 60 confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Of these, 42 were from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan.

On its website, the CDC has outlined, somewhat ominously, how the coronavirus could affect the US. It said more cases are likely. As the virus starts spreading from person to person, healthcare systems could become "overwhelmed" and "overloaded, with elevated rates of hospitalizations and deaths." Public places could empty out as people stay home to avoid getting the virus or giving it to anyone else.

Here's what the CDC predicts could happen next, step-by-step.