BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Monday night that they have identified their first presumptive positive of the novel coronavirus since testing began on Feb. 28.
The individual is a woman in her 20s who resides in Norfolk County, according to health officials. Her test results came back positive Monday evening and will be sent to the Center for Disease Control for confirmation.
She recently traveled to Italy on a school trip and became symptomatic.
Officials say she is recovering at home.
“We are grateful this individual is recovering,” said Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel, MD, MPH. “We understand the concern this new virus is causing, and our state’s ability to quickly test for the virus is a positive development. The risk to the public from COVID-19 remains low in Massachusetts.”
Since January, Massachusetts public health officials have tested 12 residents, including the first confirmed case and now the first presumptive positive case.
Of those 12, three people have been tested since Friday when the State Public Health Laboratory began testing patients for COVID-19, in accordance with CDC guidelines, after the US Food and Drug Administration gave its approval to use the test kits.
As of last week, 608 people have been subject to self-quarantine in Massachusetts because of COVID-19.
Of those, 377 people have completed monitoring and are no longer quarantined, while 231 are currently quarantined.
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