First known person-to-person transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the USA
Authors: Isaac Ghinai, Tristan D McPherson, Jennifer C Hunter, Hannah L Kirking, Demian Christiansen, Kiran Joshi, Rachel Rubin, Shirley Morales-Estrada, Stephanie R Black, Massimo Pacilli, Marielle J Fricchione, Rashmi K Chugh, Kelly A Walblay, N Seema Ahmed, William C Stoecker, Nausheen F Hasan, Deborah P Burdsall, Heather E Reese, Megan Wallace, Chen Wang, Darcie Moeller, Jacqueline Korpics, Shannon A Novosad, Isaac Benowitz, Max W Jacobs, Vishal S Dasari, Megan T Patel, Judy Kauerauf, E Matt Charles, Ngozi O Ezike, Victoria Chu, Claire M Midgley, Melissa A Rolfes, Susan I Gerber, Xiaoyan Lu, Stephen Lindstrom, Jennifer R Verani, Jennifer E Layden, Sarah Brister, Kristin Goldesberry, Stacey Hoferka, Dejan Jovanov, Dawn Nims, Lori Saathoff-Huber, Chantel Hoskin Snelling, Hira Adil, Raabiah Ali, Elaina Andreychak, Kelley Bemis, Mabel Frias, Pearl Quartey-Kumapley, Kristin Baskerville, Elizabeth Murphy, Emily Murskyj, Zach Noffsinger, Janice Vercillo, Apryll Elliott, Uche S. Onwuta, Danielle Burck, Glen Abedi, Rachel M. Burke, Ryan Fagan, Jennifer Farrar, Alicia M. Fry, Aron J. Hall, Amber Haynes, Connor Hoff, Shifaq Kamili, Marie E. Killerby, Lindsay Kim, Stephanie A. Kujawski, David T. Kuhar, Brian Lynch, Lakshmi Malapati, Mariel Marlow, Janná R. Murray, Brian Rha, Senthil Kumar K. Sakthivel, Sarah E. Smith-Jeffcoat, Elizabeth Soda, Lijuan Wang, Brett L. Whitaker, Timothy M. Uyeki
Journal: The Lancet (2020)

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.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.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.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.None.