2nd U.S. Case Of Wuhan Coronavirus Confirmed

Updated at 11:44 a.m. ET

A second person in the United States has been infected with a dangerous new coronavirus that is spreading in China, U.S. health officials announced Friday.

A woman in her 60s got infected with the virus while traveling in the Wuhan, China, area in late December and became ill after returning home to Chicago Jan. 13, according to officials from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Illinois and Chicago health departments.

The woman is in stable condition but is still hospitalized, primarily to prevent her from spreading the virus to other people, officials said.

Officials are working to identify anyone the woman had contact with since returning home and monitoring them for any symptoms, they said. But the woman had limited contact with other people since returning home, did not take any public transportation or attend any large gatherings. So the risk to the public is low, officials said.

"We understand that some people are worried about this virus and how it may impact Americans," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters during a telephone briefing. "While this situation poses a very serious public health threat, CDC believes that the immediate risk to the U.S. public is low at this time."

But, Messonnier added: "The situation continues to evolve rapidly." And, she said, there are many unanswered questions about the new virus, including how easily it spreads and how often it causes serious illness.

At least 50 other possible cases in 22 states have been identified among travelers returning from China and are currently under investigation, according to the CDC. Eleven other possible cases have tested negative for the virus, officials said.

The virus first emerged in China, where it has begun to spread rapidly. China is reporting a total 830 cases of infections and at least 25 deaths to date. In response, Chinese authorities imposed a number of dramatic measures this week to control the outbreak, including banning travel out of cities most affected.

The first U.S. case was reported earlier this week after a man from Washington State returned from a trip to the Wuhan area and became ill. He, too, remains hospitalized in stable condition. Health official in Washington are also identifying and monitoring anyone he had contact with since his return but so far have not identified anyone else who the man infected. [Copyright 2020 NPR]