US reports first person-to-person transmission of coronavirus
This increased the total number of coronavirus patients to six in the country
The United States has confirmed the first person-to-person transmission of Wuhan coronavirus in the US on Thursday, reports The Washington Post.
This increased the total number of coronavirus patients to six in the country.
Health officials at a briefing said that the newly identified patient is currently in stable condition and his wife, who is also confirmed to have the virus, is doing well, though she remains in the hospital primarily to keep her isolated.
Officials declined to speak in detail about the man's symptoms but said they are consistent with the fever, coughing and shortness of breath that characterize the early stages of the infection.
The new patient has underlying health conditions that state health officials declined to describe. He was exposed while his wife was symptomatic.
The patient has not been attending mass gatherings.
"The virus is not spreading widely across the community," Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health told The Washington Post.
In China, officials added more than 1,900 new cases of the coronavirus on the same day, as countries stepped up their efforts to evacuate their citizens trapped in Wuhan, at the epicentre of the growing outbreak.
With experts saying a vaccine is still a long way off, more international cases of the illness appeared Thursday. Australia, Vietnam and South Korea all announced new coronavirus infections, while India and the Philippines had their first ones.