Concerns that an individual in Kent County contracted coronavirus proved unfounded.
Delaware’s Division of Public Health says testing of that person by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) came back negative.
DPH adds no other person in Delaware under investigation at this time.
“We continue to learn more about this new emerging virus every day. It is important to emphasize that this situation and the response are rapidly evolving,” said DPH Director Dr. Karyl Rattay in a statement. “We continue to coordinate closely with the CDC, as well as with our local health care providers to monitor for potential cases. We will continue to keep the public updated as new information becomes available.”
The patient tested was reported to have recently traveled to China and displayed flu-like symptoms which can be similar to symptoms of the 2019 novel coronavirus.
11 people in the United States are confirmed to have contracted the virus as of Sunday night. It has spread from China’s Wuhan Province in infecting more than 17,250 people and killing 361 people there, according to the World Health organization. The WHO confirmed the first coronavirus dealth outside China Sunday - in the Phillipines.
Both CDC and DPH continue to say the risk of novel coronavirus spreading to the general public here remains low. Only those individuals with recent travel to China or who have had contact with someone who has had recent travel and is ill, have an increased risk of becoming ill.
Delaware’s Division of Public Health emphasizes coronavirus symptoms are difficult to differentiate from influenza, and the flu still poses the greatest risk in Delaware with nearly 3,000 confirmed cases statewide this season.
