PROVIDENCE -- A person in their 40s who traveled to Italy in mid-February has the first “presumptive positive” case of coronavirus in Rhode Island, the state Department of Health announced Sunday morning.
If confirmed by federal health officials, it would be only the second case of the virus in New England. Massachusetts health officials announced Feb. 1 that a UMass Boston student who had traveled to Wuhan City, China, had contracted the virus.
State health officials said they are coordinating closely with the hospital where the person is being treated and all infection control protocols are being followed to try to prevent the spread of the virus, also known as COVID-19. Officials did not release the name of the person or the hospital.
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The patient has had limited travel in Rhode Island since returning from Italy, officials said, and also had not gone back to work.
“The Rhode Island Department of Health has been preparing for weeks to ensure that we have a structure in place to, to the best of our ability, limit or prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Rhode Island,” said Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, the department’s director. “We fully anticipated having a first case of COVID-19.”
The sick person’s immediate family members have been self-quarantining at home since it was determined that the individual met the criteria to be evaluated for the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking down other passengers and crew who were on the flight to the United States.
Meanwhile, Rhode Island health officials are contacting others who were in direct contact with the patient to tell them to start a 14-day self-quarantine at home.
“As long as anyone exposed to the individual does not have symptoms outside of their home setting, the virus cannot spread to other people in the community,” the department said.
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In the past few weeks, the State Health Laboratories worked to develop the capacity to test for the virus. Officials there expedited the final steps of implementation to run the test that identified this first case of COVID-19 in Rhode Island this weekend.
Previously, all testing for the virus was done at the CDC. Even now, each presumptive positive test result must still be confirmed by the CDC Laboratories. But that process might change in the coming days, officials said. Alexander-Scott and Governor Gina M. Raimondo will hold a news conference at 11:45 a.m. today to discuss the situation.
“We are not seeing widespread community transmission in Rhode Island, and the general level of risk for Rhode Islanders is still low,” Alexander-Scott said. “However, everyone in Rhode Island has a role to play in helping us prevent the spread of viruses, just like the flu.”
The Department of Health urged Rhode Islanders to take the same steps they would take to stop the spread of the flu: Get a flu shot, and urge relatives, friends, and co-workers to do the same. Wash your hands often throughout the day. Cough or sneeze into your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Keep surfaces (especially bedside tables, surfaces in the bathroom, and toys for children) clean by wiping them down with a household disinfectant.
The CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a face mask to protect themselves from respiratory illnesses, including the coronavirus. You should wear a mask only if a healthcare professional recommends it. A face mask should be used only by those who have been diagnosed with the virus and are showing symptoms. This is to protect others from the risk of getting infected.
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More than 60 cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the United States. Globally, more than 80,000 cases have been confirmed.
On Saturday, health officials in Washington state reported the first death from coronavirus in the United States. That man was in his 50s and had underlying health conditions.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com
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Health Department reports first case of coronavirus in Rhode Island - The Boston Globe
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