Coronavirus cases confirmed in NC. Here’s what we know — and what we don’t
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The second case of coronavirus was reported in North Carolina on Friday, three days after state health officials confirmed the first case.
The United States had more than 230 confirmed cases and 14 people had died as of Friday. Globally, more than 100,000 have been infected and more than 3,400 have died.
Here’s what we know so far about the North Carolina cases.
Who is infected?
The first patient, a Wake County man who has not been publicly identified, “is doing well and is in isolation at home,” Gov. Roy Cooper’s office said earlier this week.
The man traveled to Washington state and was exposed to COVID-19 at a nursing home that has seen an outbreak of novel coronavirus, Cooper’s office said.
The second case is unrelated to the first, according to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. The man, who lives in Chatham County, had recently been in an area of Italy with a COVID-19 outbreak.
Officials have not said where either infected person lives or works.
Did the patients fly back to North Carolina?
Yes. The first infected patient traveled through Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Feb. 22, airport officials said.
The passenger “was not experiencing symptoms” at RDU, officials said. “Based on CDC guidance, there was no identifiable risk from this case to other travelers.”
The second patient traveled in late February after experiencing flu-like symptoms while in Italy, health officials said.
“His fever resolved and symptoms were improving, and he flew back to the United States the following day,” according to a news release.
It was not immediately clear what airports he traveled through but officials said he was a “contact” to another case in Georgia. The health department there notified officials in North Carolina.
When did the patients get tested?
The first got tested for coronavirus on Tuesday, 10 days after he returned to North Carolina, Mandy Cohen, secretary of the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, told WRAL.
The second was tested by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health and was “presumptively positive” on an unknown date. Officials are still waiting for confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Where have the patients been?
The first man to be infected dined at so.ca, a Raleigh restaurant, on Saturday, Feb. 29, owner Sean Degnan said. He said the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services notified the restaurant Wednesday morning.
It’s not clear where the second man has been since returning from Italy, if anywhere.
Health officials in Chatham County visited his home to complete the test and he was put on home isolation.
Is it safe to go to work and school?
Health officials said COVID-19 is “currently not widespread in North Carolina.”
“Local health department officials are identifying close contacts to monitor symptoms and contain spread,” Cooper’s office said of the first case.
Officials in Chatham County are doing the same.
“Since the person had been symptomatic before travel, the CDC will identify close contacts on the flight thought to be at risk and notify the appropriate public health agencies,” N.C. DHHS said in Friday’s news release.
Last week, North Carolina health officials said it’s important to stay home when you are sick, and businesses should be prepared for employees who stay home because they are sick or need to take care of sick family members, The News & Observer reported.
Wake County schools last week said parents shouldn’t panic. School leaders said they are working with local health officials “to develop contingency plans should the situation escalate,” The N&O reported.
Everyone should take “common sense precautions” to protect themselves, health officials say.
You think you might have the coronavirus. What now?
If you develop a dry cough and fever, the first signs of the virus, it doesn’t necessarily mean you should go to the hospital unless you have pre-existing health issues, the Miami Herald reported.
However, if you have a dry cough and fever and difficulty breathing or a comprised immune system, you should call your health care provider.
How can you protect yourself?
Coronavirus spreads when people are in “close contact” and through “respiratory droplets” that are produced when someone who is infected coughs or sneezes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s also possible a person can get sick from touching their face after touching something contaminated by the virus, the CDC says.
The CDC recommends washing your hands often for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects you touch regularly.
Wearing a face mask when you’re not sick isn’t helpful in protecting against the virus, the CDC says, but those who have symptoms should wear one to avoid infecting others.
Face masks can actually increase a healthy person’s risk of becoming infected, McClatchy News reported.
Is North Carolina prepared?
Experts say the United States is among the countries best prepared to handle an epidemic like coronavirus.
However, some say the spread of the virus has exposed “significant vulnerabilities” in the country’s ability to handle it.
In North Carolina, officials have been preparing for weeks to detect and contain the virus, The News & Observer reported.
State health officials announced Tuesday that they are now able to test for the virus, which will allow for a quicker response to any positive cases.
Cooper created a COVID-19 Task Force last month to coordinate the state’s response to the virus, health officials said.
How did COVID-19 start?
The first cases of the novel coronavirus were reported in the Wuhan region of China in December.
Health officials believe the virus could have originated from a live animal market in Wuhan, where dozens of workers became infected.
While it’s probable the virus somehow transmitted from animals to humans, health officials haven’t yet confirmed if that’s the case.
How does this compare to the flu?
The flu and coronavirus have similar symptoms and are spread in similar ways, McClatchy News reports.
Between 9 million and 45 million cases of the flu have been reported in the U.S. every year since 2010, the CDC estimated. The flu has killed between 12,000 and 61,000 people each year.
Meanwhile, of the more than 100,000 coronavirus cases reported worldwide so far, about 3,400 have been fatal.
A big difference is that there’s still some mystery surrounding COVID-19.
Health officials are familiar with how the flu works and how to deal with it, McClatchy News reported, but there are still a lot of unknowns surrounding COVID-19.
This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 6:20 PM with the headline "Coronavirus cases confirmed in NC. Here’s what we know — and what we don’t."
