By Emily Drooby
Coronavirus has made its way to New York City. On March 2, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and city Mayor Bill de Blasio teamed up to give details on the case: a 39-year-old woman who is a healthcare worker.
She was working in Iran and flew back to New York Feb. 25.
“She did not take any public transportation,,” said Gov. Cuomo. “As she was a healthcare worker, she was very aware of this situation and the potential for this situation. We don’t believe that she was contagious when she was on the plane.”
Still, they’re contacting the other passengers just in case. They did not say which airport or airline were involved, and the woman took a private car to her home.
According to Gov. Cuomo, the woman was tested at Mount Sinai. She’s now quarantined inside her home along with her husband, who health officials say is the only person she had prolonged contact with.
The governor also said that while they’re taking precautions, more cases are likely.
“You’re not going to eliminate the spread, but you can limit the spread and testing is very important,” he explained, “and that’s why the federal government allowing us to test is a very big deal.”
New York City should be able to test for coronavirus starting March 6. Officials are calling that a big deal when it comes to prevention – results will take hours instead of day.
Along with New York, first cases have also been reported in Rhode Island and Florida, meaning the virus is now in at least 10 U.S. states.
Some schools in Washington and Oregon have closed for cleaning, and top U.S. officials say they’re working on a vaccine.
President Trump is asking that vaccine production to be accelerated, and will be sitting down with pharmaceutical CEOs to discuss.
Gov. Cuomo said he understands the anxiety regarding the coronavirus, but he told everyone to relax, adding that the city is working hard to fight the virus and putting new cleaning protocols into place in schools and on public transportation.
Officials added that if you think you might be sick, get to a healthcare provider right away – you can call 3-1-1 if there are any issues getting to one.