Tewksbury Coronavirus: First Confirmed Case, Pipes Clogged

TEWKSBURY, MA — Tewksbury has its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus, the town announced Thursday. The health department is in regular contact with the patient, who is under medical supervision. Due to privacy laws, no information about the patient can be shared.

The risk in Tewksbury remains low, according to the announcement.

The town also warned Thursday against flushing disinfectant/baby wipes.

"Many of these products say they are flushable. They are not. Our sewer pumping stations have seen an increase level of clogged pumps in recent days, so we’re asking residents to please stop flushing anything other than toilet paper," the town said.

Finally, the Tewksbury Police Department issued a news release Thursday on updates to their operations.

"Although police headquarters is closed to the public, the department remains fully operational and continues to respond to all calls for service," the department said. "As we continue to work through this period, we have developed better ways to respond to some of our service calls."

The department has a new online reporting option for minor, non-urgent crimes.

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

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.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring 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 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to 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 when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.