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The woman’s specimens will be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation.
“We appreciate this patient’s cooperation,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel. “While the risk to Massachusetts remains low, residents should make sure they and their families are well-informed about COVID-19 and heed the CDC’s updated international travel health alert.”
Since January, Massachusetts has tested 25 residents, including the first confirmed case and the first presumptive positive case, according to the state. As of Wednesday, 719 people have been subject to self-quarantine; about 249 are still currently quarantined, state officials said.
Meanwhile, the Biogen news hours after Tennessee officials announced that the state’s first case of COVID-19 was in a man who had recently returned from traveling to Boston.
Several people who attended the meeting of Biogen employees “reported varying degrees of flu-like symptoms,” Biogen said in a statement. Some were confirmed to have flu, but three so far have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.
“At the present time, these individuals are doing well, improving and under the care of their healthcare providers,” Biogen said.
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The man who tested positive in Tennessee has a mild illness and is isolated at his home in Williamson County, Tenn., according to a news release posted Thursday afternoon on the website of the Tennessee Department of Health.
Officials did not reveal exactly when the man became ill, but said he recently traveled on nonstop, round-trip flights between Nashville and Boston, returning to Tennessee “four or five days ago,” Tennessee Department of Health Commissioner Lisa Piercey said at a news conference on Thursday.
It is not known whether the man was connected to the Biogen meeting.
He did not experience symptoms during his travels, and the news release did not say how he is believed to have contracted the virus.
The Tennessean on Thursday reported that the man is 44 years old and officials have been told that he “may have caught the virus at an out-of-state conference which was also attended by people who had traveled outside of the country.”
Tennessee officials have been in “close contact” with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, according to the news release.
Biogen, in its statement, said the company’s priority is the safety of its employees and communities and that it has restricted employee travel through the end of March and is in regular contact with public health officials.
“In an abundance of caution, all meeting attendees, with or without flu-like symptoms, have been directed to work from home for two weeks,” Biogen said. “We are regularly communicating with all employees and directed all employees who are not feeling well to stay home and contact their healthcare provider as necessary.”
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The Boston Public Health Commission released a statement Thursday saying its staff was coordinating efforts with state and federal officials.
“The Boston Public Health Commission is actively working with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Massport, and the Tennessee Health Department, as well as our partners at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to gather all the information about the confirmed case, which remains ongoing,” the commission said. “As this is a pertinent health matter, we will continue to share confirmed information and any other relevant facts as soon as they become available.”
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Massport did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday afternoon.
Nestor Ramos can be reached at nestor.ramos@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @NestorARamos. Hanna can be reached at hanna.krueger@globe.com. Follow her on twitter @hannaskrueger. Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox. Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss
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March 06, 2020 at 06:46AM
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Biogen employees positive for coronavirus as third case is announced in Mass. - The Boston Globe
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