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Cuomo Confirms 1st Person Testing Positive for COVID-19 in NYC; Woman Traveled from Iran

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

A person in New York has tested positive for COVID-19, more commonly known as the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said late Sunday.

The case is the first confirmed case of the illness in New York, according to Cuomo.

“The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home,” Cuomo said, according to a NBC News report.

NBC News reported that state officials familiar with the case said the woman lives in Manhattan and people with close contact to the woman have already been identified by health officials.

“Our disease detectives have already identified close contacts of the patient, who may have been exposed, and will take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19,” NYC Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said in a statement.

as was reported by NBC News, the test was being evaluated at the New York State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center in Albany, Cuomo confirmed.

“The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York,” Cuomo said.

In a statement posted to his web site on Sunday evening, Governor Cuomo said:

“This evening we learned of the first positive case of novel coronavirus — or COVID-19 — in New York State. The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York.

“The positive test was confirmed by New York’s Wadsworth Lab in Albany, underscoring the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday.

“There is no cause for surprise — this was expected. As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York.

“Last week I called for the Legislature to pass a $40 million emergency management authorization to confront this evolving situation — I look forward to its swift passage.

“There is no reason for undue anxiety — the general risk remains low in New York. We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available.”

“Our health authorities have been in a state of high alert for weeks, and are fully prepared to respond. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers have the facts and resources they need to protect themselves,” Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.

NBC News reported that the New York City Council is scheduled to discuss the city’s preparedness and response plan Thursday at 1 p.m.

Earlier Sunday, health officials announced the first case of the new COVID-19 coronavirus had been confirmed in Rhode Island.

On Sunday, the Rhode Island Department of Health said the person is in their 40s and had traveled to Italy in mid-February. State public health officials are working with the hospital where the unnamed person is currently being treated to ensure all infection control protocols are being followed.

The person tested positive for COVID-19, and those results were sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for final confirmation, Dr. Nichole Alexander-Scott, the state’s director of health, said Sunday at a press conference.

Cuomo on Saturday also announced that New York State would begin doing its own testing for COVID-19, noting this would “expedite wait time and improve NY’s ability to more effectively manage the coronavirus situation as it unfolds.”

NBC News reported that symptoms are likely to appear as soon as two days after exposure, or up to two weeks later, according to the CDC.

Barbot previously said that due to the federal government expanding its criteria for virus testing to include Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea, more people are expected to be tested.

“Viruses don’t respect borders and this broader definition will help us cast a wider net to detect the virus. We expect the number of cases under investigation to grow,” Barbot said, according to the NBC report.

New York City’s Bellevue Hospital is one of several local medical centers that are preparing for a possible outbreak. It is home to 1,200 beds that could be readily available in case the virus becomes widespread, according to Mayor de Blasio.

NBC News reported that there have been more than 88,000 cases of the new virus worldwide, with at least 3,000 deaths reported around the globe. The number of countries hit by the virus has climbed past 60.

Washington state saw the first COVID-19 death in the United States, officials said on Feb. 29.

NBC News reported the same day that death was announced, President Trump approved new restrictions on international travel to prevent the spread within the U.S. of the new virus, which originated in China.

The travel restrictions applied to Iran — although travel there by Americans was already severely limited — as well as heavily affected regions of Italy and South Korea.

Around the world, many cases of the virus have been relatively mild, and some of those infected apparently show no symptoms at all. 

 

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