Woburn Update On New Coronavirus Concerns

WOBURN, MA — The Woburn Board of Health shared updated information Thursday on the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. The state Department of Public Health announced Thursday its second "presumed positive" case of the virus since testing began Feb. 28. The state's tests have not yet been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control, but they join one prior CDC-confirmed case.

The new case is a Middlesex County woman in her 60s who had recently traveled to Northern Italy. She was symptomatic but did not require hospitalization and is recovering at home, according to the city announcement.

Including cases announced Friday, there are four positive cases in Boston, three in Norfolk County and one in Middlesex County.

"On March 4, the CDC issued an updated Travel Health Alert for all United States residents, instructing travelers returning from countries with a Level 3 alert (currently China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy) to stay home and monitor their health for 14 days after returning to the US," the update continues. "This guidance also instructs travelers from countries with a Level 2 alert (currently Japan) to monitor their health and limit interactions with others for 14 days after returning to the US. The guidance advises against any non-essential travel to Level 3 countries."

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. There are over 100,000 cases worldwide.

Woburn Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Crowley also recently sent information to families about the virus. The district has not yet announced any policy changes, although Crowley encouraged families to keep home sick children.

"Our School Facilities Department is vigilantly sanitizing our educational spaces as we typically do during the cold and flu season," Crowley said. "We are following all recommended guidelines to ensure the safety of our students and staff."

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.

The CDC has prepared a fact sheet with basic information on the virus.

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.

Read the latest nationwide updates on COVID-19.

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