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WHEATON, Ill. (WLS) — Health officials in DuPage County are reaching out to people who may have had contact with a Chicago woman who was diagnosed with coronavirus.
The DuPage County Health Department said it’s looking into any reports of exposure, with help from the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health care providers.
DuPage County health officials will give an update on the coronavirus case Wednesday afternoon.
The update comes as Porter County health officials report a possible case of coronavirus in northwest Indiana.
County health officials said they identified an “individual traveling through Porter County” as potentially infected. A final diagnosis has not been reached, and health officials are waiting on results from laboratory tests by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The patient has been placed in isolation out of an abundance of caution, health officials said. That person is currently under active medical supervision.
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The Chicago woman remains the only confirmed case in our area. She remains hospitalized in good condition, according to health officials.
Health officials continue to say the overall threat of the coronavirus in America is low.
There have been more than 130 deaths from coronavirus and roughly 6,000 infections reported in China, according to Chinese health officials. More than 50 cases have been reported outside China.
On Wednesday, U.S. and British airlines halted flights to China in efforts to contain the virus.
American Airlines suspended Los Angeles flights to and from Shanghai and Beijing, while British Airways halted all flights to China. The carriers joined several Asian airlines that are either suspending or cutting back service to China as fear about the virus spreads.
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Scientists say there are still many critical questions to be answered about the new virus, including just how transmissible and severe it is.
Dr. Michael Ryan, the World Health Organization’s emergencies chief, said many of those affected experience only a mild illness and estimated that the death rate is at about 2%. The death rate for SARS, a related virus, was about 10%.
Ryan said few instances of the new virus spreading between people in countries beyond China, including Germany, are of great concern.
The new virus causes cold- and flu-like symptoms, including cough and fever, and in more severe cases, shortness of breath and pneumonia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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