Illinois Coronavirus: 7th Case May Be From Community Transmission

CHICAGO, IL — Illinois' seventh confirmed coronavirus patient is a Chicago man in his 60s. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Allison Arwady said he is hospitalized in serious condition.

Coming two days after officials announced that a Chicago Public Schools special education assistant had tested positive for COVID-19, the case is the third in Chicago. All seven Illinois cases of coronavirus have been in Cook County.

Arwady said the seventh case is not connected to the Chicago Public Schools employee diagnosed with coronavirus this week and may be the state's first case of community transmission — meaning the case is not connected to travel abroad or travel to other parts of the country with known cases spreading in the community.

"That does not mean that widespread transmission of COVID-19 is happening here," she said. "It means community surveillance is working." Arwady said anyone who has flu-like symptoms but tests negative for the flu is being tested for the new coronavirus.

"Community spread is being detected in a growing number of countries and in parts of the U.S." Arwady said. "For weeks, we have been preparing so the City of Chicago is ready," she said, adding she expects to see new cases.

Arwady said a potential case of community transmission of the illness shows how important it is for anyone with flu-like symptoms to stay home and to seek medical attention.

Chicago high school quarantined

News that the Chicago Public Schools staffer tested positive prompted health officials to advise all students and staff who were at Vaughn Occupational High School from Feb. 25 to March 6 to quarantine themselves at home, WGN reported. A thorough cleaning of the school was underway, and buses that serve Vaughn students have been removed for additional cleaning.

The employee, a woman in her 50s, was one of the passengers aboard a Grand Princess cruise ship. The ship disembarked on Feb. 21, and the woman returned to Chicago a few days later and went back to work. At least 21 passengers from the ship have tested positive for coronavirus.

Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike said she is in good condition.

"Throughout the weekend, Chicago public health (employees) and public schools are working overtime as fast as we can to reach out to all students, faculty and staff and to monitor the health of anyone who have been exposed," Arwady said. Anyone connected to the high school who shows possible symptoms is being tested, but no additional positive tests have been linked to the school.

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Classes have been cancelled next week at the North Side high school, which has 212 students. The woman who tested positive for coronavirus had not been at work since Monday, officials said. She remained hospitalized in isolation.

On Friday, the fifth patient in the Chicago area to test positive for the novel coronavirus was released from Rush University Medical Center to remain under home quarantine, according to hospital officials. That patient, a man in his 20s, had reportedly just returned to Chicago from Italy, the European country hit hardest by coronavirus, with more than 200 deaths and 6,000 cases.

The four other Illinois coronavirus cases include a suburban Cook County couple in their 60s who have since recovered and been released from home isolation. The wife had traveled to Wuhan, China, and was diagnosed shortly after arriving home in Chicago.

A second suburban Cook County couple in their 70s tested positive for the coronavirus last week. Arwady said the couple had not traveled to a high-coronavirus risk area outside the country, but did travel to another state known to have community transmission of coronavirus.

The husband was treated and released from Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights, and he and his wife are now recovering in home isolation. However, health officials are now monitoring more than 100 people who came into contact with the couple in recent days, including healthcare workers.

More Illinois cases expected

While she expects to see more cases, Arwady said there is not currently a recommendation to cancel mass gatherings or public events.

At the same time, businesses and community organizations are urged to review their emergency operations plans for sick leave and for allowing employees to work from home if necessary.

"People who are older and have underlying health conditions should consider limiting their travel and avoiding large gatherings," Arwady said.

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So far, the U.S. has reported more than 400 cases of coronavirus. As of Sunday, the U.S. coronavirus death toll was at 19, with the majority of the deaths linked to a nursing home in Washington State.

No coronavirus deaths have been reported in Illinois.

What is coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called SARS-Cov-2, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19, the illness caused by SARS-Cov-2, struck the U.S. on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now being spread from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.