American Airlines pilot tests positive for coronavirus: report

On Thursday, CNN reported that a pilot for American Airlines has tested positive for the coronavirus.

"American’s Chief Medical Officer and leaders from our pilots’ office have been in touch with our Dallas Fort Worth based pilot who tested positive for COVID-19," said the company in a statement. "We are in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and public health officials and are coordinating with them on all required health and safety measures."

American officials believe the risk any of the passengers were infected was low. Contrary to popular belief, viruses do not generally travel throughout an entire aircraft due to one sick person onboard — if a passenger is sick, for instance, it generally only spreads to people who are in an immediately adjacent row, or who touch an infected surface.