Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), first detected in China in December, 2019. In January, 2020, state, local, and federal public health agencies investigated the first case of COVID-19 in Illinois, USA. Methods: Patients with confirmed COVID-19 were defined as those with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Contacts were people with exposure to a patient with COVID-19 on or after the patient's symptom onset date. Contacts underwent active symptom monitoring for 14 days following their last exposure. Contacts who developed fever, cough, or shortness of breath became persons under investigation and were tested for SARS-CoV-2. A convenience sample of 32 asymptomatic health-care personnel contacts were also tested. Findings: Patient 1—a woman in her 60s—returned from China in mid-January, 2020. One week later, she was hospitalised with pneumonia and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Her husband (Patient 2) did not travel but had frequent close contact with his wife. He was admitted 8 days later and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Overall, 372 contacts of both cases were identified; 347 underwent active symptom monitoring, including 152 community contacts and 195 health-care personnel. Of monitored contacts, 43 became persons under investigation, in addition to Patient 2. These 43 persons under investigation and all 32 asymptomatic health-care personnel tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. Interpretation: Person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 occurred between two people with prolonged, unprotected exposure while Patient 1 was symptomatic. Despite active symptom monitoring and testing of symptomatic and some asymptomatic contacts, no further transmission was detected. Funding: None.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1137-1144 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | The Lancet |
| Volume | 395 |
| Issue number | 10230 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 4 2020 |
Funding
We thank the patients, staff at local and state health departments of Illinois, staff at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Division of Viral Disease Laboratory, CDC staff at the Emergency Operations Center, and members of the COVID-19 response teams at the local, state, and national levels for their input and collaboration on this investigation. For their partnership and dedication, we thank the clinical team and associates of AMITA Health St Alexius Medical Center, including Charmaine Arosen, Roxann Barber, Candi Boros, Jeffrey Butler, Joan Cappelletti, Carla Casia, James Collier, Paula Crossen, Polly Davenport, Steven Dlugo Mindy Doumani, Suzanne Dwyer, Allison Folkerts, Darlene Gallagher, Karen Gorman, Melissa Granato, Michael Handler, Michelle Hereford, Lauren Johnson, Michelle Johnston, Lynwood Jones, Mary Kerber, Kihe Kim, Craig Kuhl, Monica Kziazcyk, Adam Leung, Cindie Lietzke, Ann Lucey, Stuart Marcus, Tim Mathews, Rosemarie Mayer-Semar, Connie Noltemeyer, Shawn O'Connor, Mary Ann Palermo, Ana Payne, Carol Pfeifer, Chris Quinlan, Monica Rodriguez-Simzky, Deborah Rudd, Johanna Senyk, Vrusha Shastri, Natalie Sowizral, Lisa Sturm, Jeremy Swaw, Thor Thordarson, Jennylee Vazquez, Kim Vogt, Jaime Zalewski, and Eric Zemaitaitis. The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this Article do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the CDC or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine
