NYC’s First Case of COVID-19 Is Woman Who Visited Iran New York Gov. Cuomo confirmed the state's first positive case Sunday evening
Published March 1, 2020 • Updated 7 mins ago
> GILMA AND ADAM, HEALTH OFFICIALS HERE IN NEW YORK HAVE BEEN TESTING FOR SUSPECTED CASES OF CORONAVIRUS FOR MORE THAN A MONTH, AND THEY\u2019D ALL COME BACK NEGATIVE UNTIL TONIGHT. THE GOVERNOR CONFIRMING THAT CORONAVIRUS HAS ARRIVED HERE IN MANHATTAN, AND PREDICTABLY, PEOPLE WE SPOKE TO ABOUT IT ARE NOT THRILLED. ALARMED BUT NOT SURPRISED SAY FOLKS IN MANHATTAN AS THEY LEARN THAT THE FIRST CASE OF CORONAVIRUS IN THE CITY HAS FINALLY BEEN CONFIRMED. >> KIND OF EXPECTING. OF COURSE IT\u2019S GOING TO HAPPEN. WHY WOULD IT NOT HERE? >> OH, THAT\u2019S SCARY TO HEAR THAT. >> LOOK AT ALL THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE IN NEW YORK COMING IN, GOING OUT, LIVE HERE. >> Reporter: THE GOVERNOR SAID TONIGHT A WOMAN IN HER LATE 30s WHO RECENTLY TRAVELED TO IRAN TESTED POSITIVE. SHE IS ISOLATING HERSELF AT HOME. IS IT A LITTLE NERVE-RACKING TO HEAR IT\u2019S IN MANHATTAN? >> OF COURSE, OF COURSE, BECAUSE IT\u2019S FINALLY HERE. NOW BECAUSE IT HAS AN INCUBATION PERIOD TWO OF WEEKS, YOU DON\u2019T KNOW WHO ELSE HAS IT. >> Reporter: HEALTH OFFICIALS CONFIRMS SHE LIVES IN MANHATTAN, BUT WOULD NOT SAY WHICH NEIGHBORHOOD. THE GOVERNOR SAID IN A STATEMENT TONIGHT THAT THE PATIENT HAS RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS BUT IS NOT IN SERIOUS CONDITION AND HAS BEEN IN A CONTROLLED SITUATION SINCE ARRIVING TO NEW YORK. MEANWHILE, AT KENNEDY AIRPORT THIS EVENING, TRAVELERS FLYING IN FROM ITALY, WHERE THE VIRUS CONTINUES TO SPREAD RAPIDLY. DELTA AND AMERICAN AIRLINES WILL HALT FLIGHTS TO AND FROM MILAN. THIS GROUP OF STUDENTS FLEW IN FROM ROME, CUTTING THEIR SEMESTER ABROAD SHORT AS THEY WATCHED ITALIANS REACT TO THE VIRUS. >> DEFINITELY IN THE AIRPORTS AND TRAIN STATIONS YOU SAW A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH MASKS.","video_id":"1704728643935_852","video_length":"126059","video_provider":"mpx","alleypack_schedule_unpublish":"","feed_remote_id":"mpx_1704728643935","feed_thumbnail_url":""}" data-livestream="false" data-title="First Confirmed Coronavirus Case in New York City" data-vidcid="1:2:2308406" data-vidurl="https://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air/as-seen-on/first-confirmed-coronavirus-case-in-new-york-city/2308406/" data-islead="true" data-catnames="{"1444":"On Air","1445":"As Seen On","64":"News","680747":"Coronavirus Outbreak","432":"Health","65":"Local","68":"U.S. & World"}" data-tagnames="{"671842":"Coronavirus","677579":"COVID-19","107":"New York City"}" data-autoplay="true" data-component-initialized="true">
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A person in New York has tested positive for COVID-19, more commonly known as the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said late Sunday. Ida Siegal reports.
What to KnowNew York has confirmed the state's first positive test of the new virus that has sickened tens of thousands of people across the globeA statement Sunday from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office says a woman in her late 30s contracted the virus while traveling in Iran Gov. Cuomo and NYC Mayor de Blasio will hold a news conference Monday morning on the confirmed case
A person in New York City has tested positive for COVID-19, more commonly known as the novel coronavirus, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said late Sunday.
The case is the first confirmed case of the illness in New York state and city, according to Cuomo. "The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home," he said.
State officials familiar with the case said the woman lives in Manhattan and people with close contact to the woman have already been identified by health officials.
"Our disease detectives have already identified close contacts of the patient, who may have been exposed, and will take appropriate measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19," NYC Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said in a statement.
The test was being evaluated at the New York State Department of Health's Wadsworth Center in Albany, Cuomo confirmed.
"The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York," Cuomo said.
We have learned of the 1st positive case of COVID-19 in NY. The patient contracted the virus while in Iran & is isolated
There is no reason for undue anxiety—the general risk remains low in NY. We are diligently managing this situation &will provide info as it becomes available. pic.twitter.com/rLnObvrg3R
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 2, 2020
"Our health authorities have been in a state of high alert for weeks, and are fully prepared to respond. We will continue to ensure New Yorkers have the facts and resources they need to protect themselves," Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.
The mayor and the governor on Monday morning will hold a joint news conference to address the first confirmed case of the virus. Later in the week, the New York City Council is scheduled to discuss the city's preparedness and response plan.
New York City's health officials announced Sunday morning two people were being tested for COVID-19, and both had recently traveled to the city from Iran. Both tests were being evaluated at the Wadsworth Center in Albany, the New York State Department of Health's spokesperson said.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday also announced that New York State would begin doing its own testing for COVID-19, noting this would "expedite wait time and improve NY's ability to more effectively manage the coronavirus situation as it unfolds."
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Symptoms are likely to appear as soon as two days after exposure, or up to two weeks later, according to the CDC.
Barbot previously said that due to the federal government expanding its criteria for virus testing to include Iran, Italy, Japan and South Korea, more people are expected to be tested.
"Viruses don’t respect borders and this broader definition will help us cast a wider net to detect the virus. We expect the number of cases under investigation to grow," Barbot said.
New York City's Bellevue Hospital is one of several local medical centers that are preparing for a possible outbreak. It is home to 1,200 beds that could be readily available in case the virus becomes widespread, according to Mayor de Blasio.
There have been more than 88,000 cases of the new virus worldwide, with at least 3,000 deaths reported around the globe. The number of countries hit by the virus has climbed past 60.
Washington state saw the first COVID-19 death in the United States, officials said on Feb. 29.
The same day that death was announced, President Donald Trump approved new restrictions on international travel to prevent the spread within the U.S. of the new virus, which originated in China.
The travel restrictions applied to Iran — although travel there by Americans was already severely limited — as well as heavily affected regions of Italy and South Korea.
Around the world, many cases of the virus have been relatively mild, and some of those infected apparently show no symptoms at all.
Confirmed Coronavirus Cases
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