Story at a glance
- The first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus in the U.S. was reported in Illinois.
- Health officials are monitoring the infected people.
- Officials maintain the immediate risk to Americans remains low.
Health officials are reporting the first case of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus in the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday the transmission took place between a husband and wife in Illinois. The woman traveled to Wuhan, China, the region where the virus is believed to have originated, and was diagnosed with the virus last week.
The woman in her 60s has been hospitalized to keep the virus from spreading, but she is reportedly in stable condition. Her husband, who had not traveled to China, recently started experiencing symptoms and was isolated in the hospital.
Health officials are tracking the places visited by both patients and identifying those who they were in contact with to monitor them.
“We understand this may be concerning but based on what we know now our assessment remains that the immediate risk to the American public is low,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield said.
The incident marks the sixth case of coronavirus in the U.S., but the first reported person-to-person transmission.
Meanwhile, more than 7,700 people have been infected by the coronavirus and 170 have died from it, with more than 90 percent of those cases, including every death, in China.
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