A Bloomington hospital said Friday rumors that the dangerous new coronavirus had spread to central Illinois were untrue, as a second U.S. patient was confirmed in Chicago.
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.
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.
WGLT asked a spokesperson for Peoria-based OSF HealthCare, which operates OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, about rumors the virus had reached central Illinois.
“We are hearing those same rumors, and thankfully there is no truth to them,” said OSF spokesperson Libby Allison.
Advocate BroMenn spokesperson Lynn Hutley said she was not aware of the rumors.
“We have processes in place to minimize risk and exposure including infection prevention protocols and careful documentation of patient travel histories,” Hutley said. “We are committed to the safety and health of our patients, team members and the communities we serve.”
Lori Grooms, director of Infection Prevention for OSF HealthCare, said in a statement that “there should be minimal concern for most of our population.”
Since the outbreak was first reported in December, OSF said it’s been monitoring and instituting recommended CDC protocols.
Grooms said OSF is taking a cautious approach to infection prevention and control. Patients suspected of having the novel coronavirus would be asked to wear a surgical mask as soon as they are identified and they would be evaluated in a private room with the door closed, ideally an airborne infection isolation room if available. Those are available in OSF hospitals.
OSF noted that even though patients have died from the virus, the first 17 were largely older men, many with underlying health problems. Grooms said treatment would only involve antibiotics if patients develop pneumonia caused by a bacterial infection.
“Usually it’s just managing their symptoms, giving them fever reduction medication, helping them with breathing treatment; worse-case scenario ventilators,” Grooms said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday state government was monitoring the situation.
“I want to assure the people of Illinois that our health officials will continue to coordinate with federal officials in a robust manner to take all precautions and communicate regularly with the public,” Pritzker said.
The CDC is continuing to screen travelers returning from the Wuhan area of China for any signs of infection and handing out cards asking people to monitor themselves for possible symptoms, such as fever, coughing and difficulty breathing.
The McLean County Health Department did not immediately return a request for comment.
IPR’s Olivia Mitchell and NPR contributed to this report.
