BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts has announced a possible second case of the coronavirus in the state.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said the patient, a woman in her 20s from Norfolk County, is recovering at home. She recently traveled to Italy with a school group.
The woman was showing symptoms, and her results came back positive from a state lab.
This is the state’s first presumptive case of the coronavirus. If it is confirmed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it will become the state’s second case.
The Commonwealth's first case was confirmed a month ago in a man in his 20s returning from Wuhan, China, the center of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, health officials maintain that the risk of the virus spreading in Massachusetts remains low.
"We are grateful this individual is recovering," Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said in a statement. "We understand the concern this new virus is causing, and our state’s ability to quickly test for the virus is a positive development."
Health officials have tested 12 residents since January, including this case and the first confirmed case.
“The thing everybody is focused on at this point is insuring that we are in a position to make sure that people who show signs are tested and tested quickly,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “We now have the ability to do the tests here in Massachusetts.”
More than 600 people were subject to self-quarantine in Massachusetts last week. Now, 231 of those people remain in quarantine. The others have completed monitoring and are no longer in quarantine.
WBZ NewsRadio's James Rojas (@JamesRojasWBZ) reports
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