DANBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Governor Ned Lamont announced Sunday afternoon the State Department of Public Health confirmed the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in a Connecticut resident. Meanwhile, Senator Richard Blumenthal says the federal government could be doing more to help the state deal with the spread of the virus.
The patient is a Wilton resident between the ages of 40-50-years-old who is being treated at Danbury Hospital.
In a statement, Governor Lamont said the patient likely became infected on a trip to California and is in no way related to the two New York residents working in CT hospitals who were diagnosed with the virus in the last few days.
The Wilton resident will be considered a presumptive positive until tests are confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a tweet, the governor assured the public, as a whole, they are not in danger, saying, “Extensive contact tracing is being done. All people who have had direct, face-to-face contact with this person are being instructed to stay home and self-isolate.”
Risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 is considered low for people who had contact with an individual who does not have COVID-19 and does not have symptoms. In other words, a contact of a contact is considered low risk.
– Governor Ned Lamont (D-CT)
Connecticut has, so far, seen only one positive case of the coronavirus with 46 tests coming back negative for the virus.
Dr. John Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance Health, the hospital system that includes Danbury Hospital, said in a statement Sunday the hospital has been prepared for this for some time and the patient is in very experienced hands.
Health officials say the public at large is at very low risk of contracting the virus unless they come in direct contact with someone who already has it.
Health officials remind the public that thorough and frequent hand washing is still the best defense against getting sick.
In light of the new confirmed presumptive positive case in the state, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is pushing for federal funding to help get kits to hospitals across the state.
Speaking with News 8 Sunday, Sen. Blumenthal called COVID-19 a pandemic for which Connecticut is grossly underprepared.
The first Connecticut resident case is an indication that we’re going to see increasing numbers – maybe soaring, no surprise, we should be prepared. More tests are needed to know what the extent of the epidemic is likely to be.
We are behind this threatened epidemic, lagging in a race against a deadly enemy and the reason is, a lack of tests from the federal government which has to be remedied as soon as possible so that we know what the facts are on the ground. Facts defeat fear.
– Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Governor Ned Lamont, Senator Richard Blumenthal and other state health officials will hold a news conference on the state’s coronavirus preparedness and response effort on Monday.