North Dakota has first case of community spread coronavirus - INFORUM

A Morton County woman in her 30s has contracted the virus despite having no history of travel and no contact with any person who has been confirmed to have COVID-19. This means she likely caught it from another person with the illness in her community who has not yet been tested. The woman has not been hospitalized and is currently recovering at home.

"This is the first confirmed case of community transmission in North Dakota, and it reinforces the importance for all North Dakotans to practice social distancing and stay home when you’re sick, even if it’s minor," Gov. Doug Burgum said.

The health department will now try to identify, contact and monitor others who came into close contact with the woman while she was symptomatic, according to a news release.

Morton County is in south-central North Dakota and has about 31,000 residents, most of whom live in or near Mandan.

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The announcement of the new case means the state now has six confirmed cases of the disease that has caused a global health crisis.

The five previous cases include:

• Two Ward County men in their 60s
• A Cass County woman in her 20s
• A Burleigh County man in his 50s
• A Burleigh County woman in her 20s

Four of the cases were announced Tuesday, and all of the five of the people who contracted the illness had recently traveled to areas impacted by the virus.

The state has reported 274 tests for the virus as of Tuesday afternoon, with 268 coming back negative. The department no longer lists pending tests on its website because private providers don’t need to get permission to send tests to the state lab.

Every state now has at least one confirmed case of the illness, and some states like Washington, New York and California have more than known 500 cases.

Burgum announced the five-day closure of the state's 175 public and private school districts Sunday in an effort to increase "social distancing" by limiting situations in which the virus can spread easily between people. Hundreds of public events and meetings in North Dakota, including the high school state basketball tournaments and the Fargo Marathon, have been canceled or postponed to prevent mass gatherings during the epidemic.

State and national health officials have repeatedly said taking these kinds of actions could help prevent a sudden outbreak of COVID-19 that overwhelms the health care system.

People can help protect themselves from the spread of the virus by diligently practicing preventative behaviors, like avoiding crowds, covering coughs and sneezes, washing hands frequently with soap and water and cleaning commonly touched surfaces.

Symptoms of COVID-19 in those who have been exposed can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure.

Reported illnesses have ranged from people with few to no symptoms to people becoming severely ill and dying. People who think they may have COVID-19 should call their health care provider first before going to the clinic, unless it’s an emergency.

Older adults and people with underlying medical conditions, like heart disease, diabetes or lung disease, are at a greater risk of suffering a serious illness or death from the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Burgum said Tuesday residents who are traditionally "North Dakota tough" and work through illnesses on the job now have to be "North Dakota smart" and stay home when sick.

For questions related to COVID-19, the public can call the health department hotline at 866-207-2880 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Individuals who need medical advice should contact their health care provider.

As a public service, we’ve opened this article to everyone regardless of subscription status.

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North Dakota has first case of community spread coronavirus - INFORUM
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