First U.S. case of human-to-human transfer of coronavirus confirmed in Chicago

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — The Illinois Department of Public Heath (IDPH) has confirmed the second case of novel coronavirus in Illinois.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made the announcement during a CDC telebriefing on Wednesday.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says the patient is the spouse of the 61-year-old woman who is being treated in isolation in Hoffman Estates.

She came into the United States via O’Hare airport on January 13th.

The IDPH says she is responding well to treatment and doing well.

The World Health Organization says 170 have died from the virus so far, and there are more than 7,700 cases worldwide.

In Illinois, there are 21 individuals under investigation for possible infection, according to the IDPH.

There are six confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, with 165 people nationwide under investigation for potential cases.

The IDPH maintains that the threat to the general public is low.

The rapidly expanding outbreak originated in Wuhan, China

Officials with Mercyhealth in Rockford say healthcare providers are required to ask about travel history if a patient has symptoms.

The vast majority of cases have been in and around Wuhan, but people who visited or had personal connections to infected people were among the scattered cases counted beyond the mainland. South Korea and Japan both confirmed their second cases Friday; Singapore confirmed its third and Thailand its fifth. Cases have also been detected in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, the United States and Vietnam.

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