Coronavirus: VA Officials Work To Limit Spread From First Cases

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — State and local health officials confirmed Sunday that two people in Virginia have tested positive for the new coronavirus. A Marine who recently returned to the United States after traveling to Ethiopia on official business and a Fairfax City man who had been on a Nile River cruise are the first two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the state.

Officials are attempting to determine who the Fairfax City man has been in contact with upon his return from the cruise. Based on initial investigiations, the man, who is in his 80s, has had limited contact with others and the impact on the local community “remains low," Fairfax County Health Director Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu said Sunday at a news conference at the Stacy C. Sherwood Center in Fairfax City.

These first two Virginia cases of COVID-19 are presumptive positive, which means they still need to be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Marine is being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. In response to the Marine testing positive for the coronavirus, Marine Corps Base Quantico, where he was assigned, is operating under a Code Yellow status, which means reasonable delays in reporting to work at the base are excused and unscheduled leave may be authorized. Mission Essential personnel are expected to report to work on the base, according to the base.

The Fairfax City man developed symptoms of respiratory illness on Feb. 28, was hospitalized on March 5, and remains in stable condition. Officials said the man was not on the same Nile River cruise where dozens of people were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. They did not disclose where the Fairfax City man is being treated, citing patient confidentiality.

Test results for common respiratory infections, including the flu, on the Fairfax City man came back negative. After consultation with Virginia Department of Health and based on the resident’s symptoms and known exposures, specimens were collected and sent to the Virginia state laboratory for testing for COVID-19 on Friday. The positive result was returned Saturday, according to the health department.

“The news of a COVID-19 case in a city resident is not unexpected. We have been preparing for the possibility of COVID-19 in our region since this outbreak began," Addo-Ayensu said.

Fairfax County officials said they have no plans at this time to shut down county schools. County schools will be open as scheduled Monday, March 9. Officials said they believe the Fairfax City man has not had contact with school-aged children.

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Dr. Norm Oliver, Virginia's state health commissioner, said the state's efforts to repond to the H1N1 influenza virus in 2009 and 2010 laid a "solid foundation" for the state to deal with managing the spread of COVID -19.

At the news conference, Dr. Denise Toney, director of the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services at Virginia's State Laboratory, said the state currently has two test kits for the COVID-19 and that the state "hopefully" will receive more kits in the coming week. Each test kit can test between 150 and 200 people, depending on how many specimens are taken from each person, Toney said.

Access to testing will continue to increase each day and eventually Viginia will have the capacity to test whoever needs to be tested, she said.

According to the Fairfax County Health Department, there is no reason to treat people of a certain race or ethnicity differently, no reason to assume they have or can spread COVID-19, and no reason to avoid businesses owned by people of a certain race or ethnicity because of fear of COVID-19 infection.

The Fairfax County government is currently making plans — through updates to software and remote computer login capability — that would allow employees to work remotely if the virus spreads across the county.

Symptons for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Symptoms appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person. COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

The Virginia Department of Health is encouraging people to follow these behaviors:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer only if soap and water are not available.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid contact with sick people.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
Fairfax County Health Department
Virginia Department of Health