New Coronavirus In VA: First Case Confirmed, Health Officials Say

VIRGINIA — One person in Virginia has been diagnosed with the new coronavirus, according to authorities. The U.S Marine assigned to Fort Belvoir, Virginia, tested positive for the illness Saturday, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

The Marine had recently come back to the United States after traveling overseas for official business, said Jonathan Rath Hoffman, chief spokesman for the Pentagon.

Currently, the Marine is being treated at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, according to Hoffman.

The risk of contracting the new coronavirus in Virginia is low, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

"Evidence has not been seen of COVID-19 spreading in Virginia," according to a statement the Virginia health department issued Saturday night announcing the first confirmed case of the new coronavirus.

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"We are carefully monitoring the case of the coronavirus announced in Virginia today and are committed to doing everything we can to ensure the Commonwealth is getting the federal support it needs to respond," U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine said in a statement.

The senators reported they voted this week to pass a bipartisan $8.7 billion emergency funding bill that will help Virginia and other states combat the outbreak through diagnostic testing, vaccine development and equipment.

How To Stay Healthy

Virginia residents and those on military installations should take these preventive measures, according to state health officials:

• Stay away from people who are sick.
• Do not touch eyes, nose and mouth with hands that have not been washed.
• Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer that is at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Cover coughs or sneezes with a tissue. Afterward, throw out the tissue.

The new coronavirus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

Symptoms are fever, cough, difficulty breathing and pneumonia, resulting in anything from mild respiratory issues to death.

It spreads between those closer than 6 feet apart through respiratory droplets when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes and the droplets get into the mouths or noses of others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For more information, the Virginia Department of Health's coronavirus website shows the number of test results and those being monitored for the illness in Virginia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also provided a coronavirus disease situation summary.

See Also:

• Coronavirus Update Scheduled For March 10 In Fairfax County
• Private School In VA Closes As Students Self-Quarantine After Italy Trip