Coronavirus at LAX: Medical worker tests positive at Los Angeles Airport

A health worker screens the temperature of a passenger arriving from Italy. Photo / AP

US officials say a medical screener at the Los Angeles International Airport has contracted the coronavirus.

The US Department of Homeland Security says it's unclear if the person contracted the virus through their work as a medical screener or from community transmission. The agency said no travelers screened at LAX have tested positive for coronavirus.

The person, who is a contractor for the Department of Homeland Security, is being quarantined at home and has mild symptoms.

Cathay Pacific Flight crew from and passengers mingle in the Los Angeles Airport terminal, wearing protective masks. Photo / Getty Images

The patient last worked at the airport on Feb. 21 and began feeling cold-like symptoms on Feb 29. The patient's doctor tested them for coronavirus on March 1.

Officials say the screener wore protective equipment at the airport.