Second case of deadly Chinese coronavirus confirmed in US
A second U.S. case of coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, has been confirmed in Illinois, public health officials said Friday.
A 60-year-old Chicago-area woman is the second person to test positive for the deadly virus, USA Today reports. The woman had traveled recently to Wuhan, China, the center of the outbreak, according to The Washington Post. The news of the second confirmed case in the U.S. was also reported by The Chicago Sun-Times and CBS Chicago.
The deadly virus, which is believed to have been transmitted from animals to people at a market in Wuhan, has already spread to Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and South Korea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The first case in the US was identified on Jan. 21. A Washington man in his 30s began feeling ill after he returned from a trip to Wuhan. He’s in “stable condition” at Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, The Washington Post reported.
“While originally thought to be spreading from animal-to-person, there are growing indications that limited person-to-person spread is happening. It’s unclear how easily this virus is spreading between people,” the CDC said.
Chinese cities, including Beijing and Wuhan, banned large gatherings for the Lunar New Year in an attempt to stop the spread of the outbreak, The Washington Post reported.
Wuhan was put on lockdown on Jan. 22, with authorities banning transportation and saying “nobody was to be allowed out,” according to CBS. Transportation was also suspended in Huanggang and Ezhou, USA Today reported.
The virus has infected hundreds of people so far and killed at least 26 people in China, according to The New York Times.
Airports in London, New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, and more have begun screening passengers coming from China for symptoms of the virus, according to The Washington Post.
The World Health Organization is currently considering whether to declare a global health emergency over the outbreak, The Guardian reported.
On Thursday, the White House said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the coronavirus outbreak in China and “remains consistently vigilant” about preventing a widespread outbreak in the U.S.
Public health officials say person-to-person transmission of the virus may be possible.
“At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people,” the CDC said.
Symptoms of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) are “mild to severe respiratory illness” with fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the CDC.
“Currently, cases infected in China have been exported to the US, Thailand, Japan and Republic of Korea. It is expected that more cases will be exported to other countries, and that further transmission may occur,” the WHO said Thursday.
This story was originally published January 24, 2020 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Second case of deadly Chinese coronavirus confirmed in US."