CDC confirms first human-to-human transmission of coronavirus in US

HEALTH AND SCIENCE CDC confirms first human-to-human transmission of coronavirus in US

PUBLISHED THU, JAN 30 202012:37 PM EST

UPDATED FRI, JAN 31 20201:43 AM EST Berkeley Lovelace Jr.@BERKELEYJR William Feuer@WILLFOIA

KEY POINTS: The CDC confirmed Thursday the nation’s first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus that has already killed at least 171 people in China.

The transmission makes the U.S. at least the fifth country where the infection is now spreading through human-to-human contact.

First US case of human-to-human coronavirus transmission: CDC

U.S. health officials confirmed on Thursday the nation’s first person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus that has already killed at least 171 people in China and infected more than 8,200 since emerging less than a month ago.

The new patient is the husband of the Chicago woman who brought the infection back from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, CDC and Illinois health officials said during a press briefing. Health officials said the man, in his 60s, has “some underlying medical conditions” but was in good condition. His wife was doing well but remained in isolation at a local hospital, they said.

Public health officials are also monitoring 21 patients in Illinois for possible infections.

[To see the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit CNBC’s live blog here.]

Read more here: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/01/30/cdc-confirms-first-human-to-human-transmission-of-coronavirus-in-us.html