Getty A case of Boston Coronavirus involves a UMass student. This is a scene from Wuhan, where the virus started.
Boston has its first case of Coronavirus, and it’s a student at UMass Boston.
The confirmation of the case comes from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Peter Eliopoulos of WCVB-TV wrote on Twitter that the infected person is a student at the University of Massachusetts Boston: “The Mass Department of Health confirms the man who has contracted the novel #Coronavirus is a student at UMass Boston.”
He added: “The UMass Boston student who contracted the #coronavirus is being quarantined at home while being closely monitored by health officials. The DOH confirms he’s not in a dorm at UMass. He returned to Logan from Wuhan, China on 1/28 and sought medical attention on 1/29.”
“We are grateful that this young man is recovering and sought medical attention immediately,” said Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD. MPH, in a news release. “Massachusetts has been preparing for a possible case of this new coronavirus, and we were fortunate that astute clinicians took appropriate action quickly. Again, the risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts.”
Eliopoulus reported that the student didn’t have contact with many people, writing, “The DOH is not saying definitively how many people the man came in contact with before he was quarantined, but they did say you ‘can count them with your fingers.’ They say it is limited to family members and medical personnel, all of whom are being monitored.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The Man Is in His 20s & Lives in Boston
People wear face masks as they wait at Hankou Railway Station on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, China. Photo by Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images
In a news release issued on February 1, 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health revealed that the “first case of the 2019 novel coronavirus in Massachusetts has been confirmed in a man returning from Wuhan, China who is in his 20s and lives in Boston.”
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) “were notified by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the positive test results late Friday evening. This is the eighth case of infection with 2019 novel coronavirus reported in the United States. The risk to the public from the 2019 novel coronavirus remains low in Massachusetts,” the release says.
“The man recently traveled to Wuhan, China, and sought medical care soon after his return to Massachusetts. He has been isolated since that time and will continue to remain isolated until cleared by public health officials. His few close contacts have been identified and are being monitored for any sign of symptoms.”
“Our priority is not only to protect and inform the residents of Boston but also to help this man continue to recover. We are pleased that he is doing well,” said BPHC Executive Director Rita Nieves in the news release. “Right now, we are not asking Boston residents to do anything differently. The risk to the general public remains low. And we continue to be confident we are in a good position to respond to this developing situation.”
According to the state, the novel coronavirus “has resulted in thousands of confirmed human infections in more than 20 countries, with more than 99 percent of cases in China. To date, eight cases have been confirmed in the US: three people in California, two in Illinois and one individual each in Massachusetts, Washington State, and Arizona.”
On Friday, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar “declared the 2019 novel coronavirus a public health emergency and ordered any US citizens returning from the center of the outbreak in China to be quarantined for two weeks as a precaution,” says the release.