MADISON, Wis. – The first case of the new coronavirus has been confirmed in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services made the announcement Wednesday, adding that the patient is a resident of Dane County.
It’s not known whether the patient is a man or a woman. However, it is known that the person recently traveled to Beijing, China for Lunar New Year, where they came in contact with someone who was infected with the coronavirus.
Upon returning to the United States, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway says the person in question went right from the local airport to the UW Health hospital where they were diagnosed with coronavirus.
Even though the patient was diagnosed with coronavirus, they were allowed to go home to self-isolate
Despite the official confirmation of coronavirus being in Wisconsin, health officials say the overall risk to the general public remains extremely low.
"This public health crisis will not be solved with fear and discrimination," said Mayor Rhodes-Conway. "It will be solved with compassion and science."
The patient will remain in self-isolation until it's determined they're no longer infectious. It's unclear how long that will take.
The Centers for Disease Control hasn’t yet announced that it has confirmed this case. As of Wednesday, the CDC had confirmed 11 cases across five states: Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington. This new case would bring that number to 12.
The virus, officially called the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China. So far, around 560 people have died from the virus worldwide, with most deaths reported in China. More than 28,000 people have been infected in 25 countries, CNN reports.
This story was originally published by Tess Klein at WTMJ.
