A doctor at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C., has contracted the Chinese coronavirus, a spokesperson for the hospital said in a statement Monday.
The hospital relayed the diagnosis of the unnamed doctor to staffers on Sunday, reports NBC 4.
“Because of privacy laws, we cannot broadly share any additional information but leaders will directly communicate with any staff or families who may have been in contact with this person,” the statement reads. “We will work with our occupational health department and our infectious disease specialists to determine the appropriate next steps. Anyone impacted will have the organization’s support.”
The hospital also announced that a child patient in the emergency department also contracted the deadly illness. “The ED team followed all infection control protocols to protect other patients, families and staff and the child did not need to be admitted,” the statement added.
Children’s National is ranked in the top 6 children’s hospitals in the United States by U.S. News & World Report. In 2019, the hospital treated nearly 220,000 children.
As of Monday, the U.S. has confirmed 3,774 coronavirus cases and 69 people have died from the disease, according to data via John Hopkins University.
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