US Coronavirus Cases: What We Know So Far
There are at least six confirmed cases of the Wuhan coronavirus in the US. The most recent case, confirmed Thursday, was the first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the US.
The World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency. The risk to Americans, as of now, is low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
The novel coronavirus, which has sickened thousands and killed more than 200 people in China, belongs to a large family of viruses that mostly sicken animals. But this coronavirus, like SARS and MERS, “jumped the species barrier” to infect people on a large scale, the CDC said.
“Given what we’ve seen in China versus other countries, CDC experts have expected to find some person-to-person spread in the United States,” CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said Thursday.
Five of the US patients had all recently returned from Wuhan, the CDC said. The sixth patient did not leave the US but became ill after his wife visited Wuhan.
In a research paper published Thursday, scientists described a case in which a patient might’ve transmitted the virus before she showed developed symptoms. The authors wrote the findings “warrant a reassessment of transmission dynamics” in the current outbreak.
The first confirmed coronavirus patient in the US, a man in his 30s, sought treatment at an urgent care center in the state after returning from Wuhan. The urgent care center sent his samples to the CDC, which confirmed he had the coronavirus.
He entered isolated care at a hospital in Everett, about 30 miles north of Seattle, on January 23. He’s receiving treatment in an isolated gurney designed for patients with highly contagious diseases, and a robot takes his vitals.
He’s in stable condition, said Dr. George Diaz, the man’s physician and an infectious disease expert. He’ll undergo additional testing until he’s no longer contagious.
A woman in her 60s in Chicago was diagnosed a few days after she returned from Wuhan on January 13. She’s in stable condition and “doing quite well,” her doctors said.
She’ll stay in the hospital to control the infection.
On Thursday, the CDC confirmed that the woman transmitted the illness to her husband, who had not traveled to China. He was in close contact with his wife during a long period of time when she was symptomatic, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.
There are two patients in California: One in Los Angeles County and another in Orange County.
Details are sparse about the Los Angeles county patient. They’re currently being treated at a local hospital, though the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health didn’t disclose how long they sought treatment after exposure to the virus.
The risk to Los Angeles County is low, the department said.
An Orange County man in his 50s flew into Los Angeles International Airport in Wuhan earlier this month. The county found out January 23, and the CDC confirmed his results on Saturday. He’s in a local hospital.
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