(CNN) The husband of an Illinois woman with Wuhan coronavirus is now infected with the illness, and is the first confirmed case of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Thursday.

"I want to emphasize that the risk of this novel coronavirus to the general public in Illinois remains low," Dr. Ngozi Ezike, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a written statement on Thursday. She added that local, state and federal health officials are working to identify people who have had close contact with the case in order to minimize further spread of the virus.

"We will continue to keep the public fully informed as additional information becomes available," she said.

The husband, a Chicago resident in his 60s, is the second confirmed case of the virus in the state.

The woman, who is in her 60s, is the first confirmed travel-associated case in Illinois and was diagnosed after returning from Wuhan, China, where the outbreak originated. She is "doing quite well" and remains hospitalized primarily for isolation, doctors told reporters during a telebriefing with reporters on Thursday.

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