SPRINGFIELD (WSIL) � The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Cook County Department of Public Health (CDPH) have announced a fifth case of COVID-19 in Illinois.
The fifth person is a Cook County resident in his 20s who flew into Chicago O’Hare Airport earlier this month after traveling to Italy.
Health officials say the man got the infection while in Italy and is currently in isolation at Rush University Medical Center. Officials are now working to identify those who were in contact with him and may have been exposed.
“While we expect to see additional cases, we are not seeing widespread transmission of the virus in Illinois and we believe the risk to the general public remains low,� said IDPH Director Dr. Ngozi Ezike. “We understand people are concerned, but we want to reassure residents that we have been working with local health departments, hospitals, clinicians, the CDC, and other state agencies around the clock and are using every resource at our disposal to prepare.�
The new positive test result for COVID-19 must still be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC has confirmed one of the presumptive positive cases announced . State health officials are still awaiting results on the other case.
The couple, a husband and wife in their 70s, remain in home isolation and are said to be doing well. They recently traveled to another state, but health officials have not been able to link them to a COVID-19 confirmed case in Illinois or the other state.
“We will continue to monitor all three recently identified cases daily for the presence of fever, cough, or difficulty breathing until CDC criteria for release are met,� said Cook County Department of Public Health Chief Operating Officer Dr. Terry Mason. “With the ability to test for COVID-19 in the IDPH laboratories, we were able to get results quickly and potentially limit further spread of this virus.�
Illinois� two previously confirmed cases have both recovered.
Public health officials continue to monitor individuals throughout Illinois who have a history of travel to an affected area or who have had close contact with a confirmed case.
Illinois Department of Public Health labs in Chicago, Springfield and Carbondale are now all fully operational and testing for the virus.
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