Updated: Presumed Positive Woburn Coronavirus Case Tests Negative

WOBURN, MA — UPDATE: The Woburn resident who tested positive for the new coronavirus in a state lab tested negative with the Centers for Disease Control, the Board of Health said Friday.

A Woburn resident tested positive for the new coronavirus, the city said Thursday. The resident is an adult who is currently isolating at home. The case is "presumed positive" until it is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.

State and local officials are monitoring the resident.

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.

"While Massachusetts is currently considered low-risk for COVID-19, we understand that more cases are likely to emerge in the US in the coming days and weeks," the Board of Health said.

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.

The Board of Health also recommended that residents sign up for Rave911, the city's emergency notification system

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