MA Coronavirus: Number Of Cases Jumps From 13 To 28

BOSTON, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health said Sunday 15 more patients have tested positive for the new coronavirus, bringing the number of people termed "presumptive" positive for COVID-19 in Massachusetts to 28.

All 15 of the newly announced cases had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference that took place in Boston in late February, according to health officials.

The presumptive positive cases announced Sunday include five people from Suffolk County and five from Middlesex County, ranging in age from the 30s to the 60s; four people from Norfolk County in their 40s to 60s; and a woman whose age and county are currently unknown.

Among the cases announced on Sunday in Massachusetts, eight are men and seven are women.

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Health officials said that all of these patients are isolating at home.

The news comes a day after the Massachusetts Department of Health announced five new presumptive cases, of which three had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference.

The risk of coronavirus to the general public in Massachusetts remains low at this time, health officials said.

Before the latest cases, more than 700 people had been tested in Massachusetts for coronavirus, and of those 470 people had released from quarantine and 249 people were still under quarantine in the state.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, the best way of preventing the disease is to do the following:

• Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Clean things that are frequently touched (like doorknobs and countertops) with household cleaning spray or wipes.
• Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Use a tissue or your inner elbow, not your hands.
• Stay home if you are sick and avoid close contact with others.

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