Dow drops over 250 points after 2nd case of Wuhan virus in the states is confirmed

Reuters / Brendan McDermid

• The Dow plunged after news broke that a second case of coronavirus was confirmed in the US.
• A Chicago woman was diagnosed with the illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
• Airline and hotel stocks also fell on the news.
• Read more on Business Insider.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped over 250 points Friday afternoon as the second case of Wuhan virus in the United States came to light.

After rising nearly 100 points earlier in the day, the Dow plunged following confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that a Chicago woman was diagnosed with coronavirus.  

Tuesday saw the first diagnosis of coronavirus in the states — the Dow closed down 152.06 points that day, snapping a five-day streak of closing in the green. 

Airline and hotel stocks also slipped following the report Friday. United Airlines fell nearly 5% and American Airlines dropped 5.52%, with the Dow Jones Transportation Average overall declining 1.28%. As of 2:19 PM, Marriot International was down 3.36% and Wyndham was down 1.90%. 

Health officials and Wall Street analysts alike have scrambled this week to guage the threat that coronavirus could pose to China’s economy. Chinese securities closed down on Friday, as did the national currency. 

The threat to the US public is “low at this time,” the CDC said.