Second U.S. Case Of Coronavirus Identified In Illinois Woman

The second case of coronavirus has struck USA.

The current outbreak of coronavirus in China has made its way to the States, according to CNBC. On Friday, U.S. health officials diagnosed a woman with having the infection, who returned from Wuhan to Chicago.

There are currently 68 cases being monitored across 22 states, including the first patient in Washington state and the new case in Illinois, said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.

The new patient is a 60-year-old woman; U.S. health officials say she is in stable condition. Physicians have her in isolated care as a precaution. The woman said that it was just last week after she returned from her trip to China that she began having symptoms while on the plane.

“She was not symptomatic when flying. And based on what we know now about this virus, our concern for transmission before symptoms develop is low, so that is reassuring,” Dr. Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, said on the call. When she arrived in the U.S. she had minimal to no movement outside of her home and she did not travel using public transportation or attend any social events. The woman told officials that she contacted a doctors a few days after the trip.

“CDC believes the immediate risk to the U.S. public is low at this time, but the situation continues to evolve rapidly,” Messonnier said, adding that there is likely to be more cases in coming days. “We have our best people working on this problem.” CNBC reports the flu-like virus has killed at least 41 people in China and infected more than 1,000 in the world since it was identified on Dec. 31.