EVERETT — A Washington state man is infected with a mystery virus that is causing major worries in China, the Washington State Department of Health said Jan. 21. The risk to Washington’s general population is considered low, DOH said.

The man has the first confirmed U.S. case of “an illness that began in China last month and has killed at least six people and sickened hundreds more,” the Washington Post reported.

The New York Times reported the man is “quite ill.” The Post said he is in stable condition.

The patient, a man in his 30s, is the first person known to be infected with 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the U.S., the state DOH said in a press release. He arrived in Snohomish County on Jan. 15 after traveling from Wuhan City, China, where an outbreak of 2019-nCoV has been underway since December 2019. As of the morning of Jan. 21, there were 300 cases worldwide but that number is likely to grow.

The Washington patient developed symptoms and was seen at a clinic in Snohomish County, the state DOH said. Specimens were collected and sent to the federal Centers for Disease Control for testing. The patient is currently being observed at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

“Last night, the Snohomish Health District coordinated with local partners to safely transport the patient to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett. This is all being done following our jointly developed infectious disease protocols. No one wants to be the first in the nation in these types of situations, but these are the types of situations that public health and its partners train and prepare for. Because of this, everything has been going along quite smoothly,” said Dr. Chris Spitters, health officer, Snohomish Health District.

In the days since the Washington man’s arrival, federal health officials have started screening travelers from Wuhan at Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and New York’s John F. Kennedy international airports.

“The outbreak has grown rapidly in recent days, with authorities in China reporting confirmed cases in multiple cities as hundreds of millions of people in China and elsewhere in Asia are on the move in the run-up to the Lunar New Year, the biggest migration event in the world,” according to the Post.

Next steps

While the risk to the general public is low, DOH said Jan. 21 that its personnel are working with the CDC and Snohomish Health District to identify and contact all those who may have come in contact with the infected traveler. These individuals will be monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms.

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses ranging from the common cold to much more serious diseases, which can infect both humans and animals, according to the World Health Organization. WHO officials are meeting Jan. 22 to decide whether to declare the outbreak an international public health emergency.

“As our team of experts partners with infectious disease specialists locally, nationally and around the globe to learn more about the 2019 novel coronavirus, our first priority remains public safety,” said Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman. “We believe the risk to the public is low. And as this situation evolves, we will continue to communicate with the CDC, Snohomish County and the public.”

The outbreak in Wuhan was originally linked to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting a possible zoonotic origin — animal-related source — to the outbreak. How easily or sustainably this virus is spreading from human to human remains unknown.

A multi-agency press conference Tuesday afternoon at the state Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline was scheduled to include Gov. Jay Inslee, Secretary of Health Wiesman, DOH, CDC, Providence Health, and Snohomish Health District.

A hotline is being set up for members of the public who have questions and when it is activated, DOH will send out an additional notice, which the Chinook Observer will report.