Minnesota's first presumptive case of the new coronavirus, known as COVID-19, has been confirmed in a Ramsey County resident, state health officials announced Friday.
The case is an "older adult resident" of Ramsey County who recently traveled on a cruise ship with a known COVID-19 case, the Minnesota Department of Health said in a news release.
The patient began to develop symptoms on Feb. 25 and sought health care Thursday. Samples were collected from the person and sent to the MDH Public Health Laboratory for testing.
The patient is currently in isolation at home and is recovering. MDH is working in partnership with St. Paul-Ramsey County Public Health to provide essential services and support to the patient.
"The State of Minnesota has been working around the clock to prepare for this and I am confident that our Department of Health is up to the challenge," Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement.
Since the outbreak started in China in December of 2019, more than 100,000 cases and 3,400 deaths have been reported in more than 80 countries. That total includes 233 U.S. cases and 14 deaths as of Friday morning.
Courtesy: Patch.com