Health officials Thursday reported the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the new virus from China. There have been reported cases of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere. Health officials think the new virus spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois health officials said that health workers and people who have been in contact with the latest patient are being monitored for symptoms. Officials said the virus probably initially spread from animals to people, as did SARS and MERS.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 30, 2020 18:09 UTC