Coronavirus: Latest Developments, What You Need To Know
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Here is the latest on the spread of coronavirus.
There is one confirmed case in the Chicago area and five total in the United States, as of Monday afternoon. Illinois has not publicly said whether other people are being monitored in case they contract the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control reports 32 people have tested negative for the virus in the United States. Another 73 cases are "pending." The other four confirmed cases are in Washington, California and Arizona.
In the Chicago case, a woman in her 60s is being treated in isolation at St. Alexius in Hoffman Estates. On Monday, doctors said she was responding well to treatment. Officials say she did not have contact with the general popluation, and did not take public transit, since returning from China on Jan. 13.
Precautions are in place at O'Hare to screen international travelers. Individual screenings for the virus are in place. Across the United States, about 2,400 people have been evaluated. Infectious disease specialists in China now say they believe the virus can spread before symptoms are detected.
At least 81 people have died in China from the new virus, officially dubbed "2019 novel coronavirus" (2019-nCoV). More than 2,700 others have been infected in more than a dozen countries.
Authorities believe the virus, which causes flu-like symptoms, likely spread into the human population from an infected animal at a market in Wuhan, China. Officials have confirmed that the virus has been transmitted person-to-person, but it remains unclear how easy it is to contract from another infected individual.
Scientists at Northwestern Memorial Hospital are on the front line, trying to find a treatment and possible vaccine for this newest form of the virus.
Health officials say that, as of right now, the general risk of contracting coronavirus, is low. The virus does not live long on surfaces, so risk of infection from overseas packages is also low.
In Chicago's Chinatown, shelves that had been cleared of facemasks are being regularly replenished to keep up with demand as more and more residents can be seen erring on the side of caution.
