- New York State governor Andrew Cuomo confirms the first case of the novel coronavirus.
- The patient is a woman in her 30s who presented respiratory symptoms after traveling to Iran.
- The news came after the coronavirus death toll eclipsed 3,000.
Governor Andrew Cuomo took to Twitter on Sunday night to reveal the first coronavirus (COVID-19) case in the state of New York. In the tweet, the governor provided general details of the patient. These details included how she became infected as well as her symptoms.
The patient, a woman in her late thirties, contracted the virus while traveling abroad in Iran, and is currently isolated in her home. The patient has respiratory symptoms, but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving in New York.
New York Residents Shouldn’t Panic About Coronavirus
The governor called on residents to remain calm because there is no reason for “undue anxiety.” Cuomo stressed that while he expected the coronavirus to hit New York, the risk of contracting the illness in the state remains low.
Mayor Bill de Blasio echoed the governor’s sentiments. He said that it was only a matter of time before the coronavirus reached the state. The mayor also emphasized that health workers are fully prepared to respond. The mayor wrote,
From the beginning, we have said it was a matter of when, not if, there would be a positive case of coronavirus in New York.
The development in New York came just as the global death toll from coronavirus topped 3,000. At the time of writing, there are over 89,000 cases of the coronavirus worldwide. In the United States, there are 81 confirmed cases and two total deaths.
This article was edited by Sam Bourgi.
