Stoughton Coronavirus: Resident Tests Positive

STOUGHTON, MA — A Stoughton resident tested positive for the new coronavirus. Town Manager Robin Muksian Grimm confirmed the first presumptive positive case in Stoughton to the Brockton Enterprise, which first reported this story.

Grimm in a statement on Facebook said the person was put into isolation and is being monitored by Janeice Bruce, the director of the Stoughton Public Health Association.

"We have no elevated concern because of the presence of one case in town other than the standard monitoring of that person," Grimm said. "While I do not have full information, and HIPPA laws make it so I don't even know who the person is, I do believe it is someone who had come back from traveling and has basically been at home since returning to the country."

More about the Coronavirus:

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, 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.

As of Wednesday, there were 165 cases of coronavirus in Massachusetts, including 45 in Norfolk County.

>>>Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now being transmitted from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 and no antiviral treatment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the best way of to prevent the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands, wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home if you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, and cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

More on Coronavirus Coverage in MA:

• Stoughton Coronavirus: How The YMCA Is Helping Seniors
• State May Let Restaurants Sell Takeout Liquor
• State Suspends Bottle Bill
• Surgical Masks Project Seeks Volunteers To Sew Masks
• Photos: The Day Coronavirus Changed Massachusetts
• Coronavirus Stranglehold On Local Restaurants Has Only Just Begun
• MBTA Ridership Drops 78 Percent
• What You Need To Know About Unemployment Benefits
• Daycares, Early Education Centers To Close