The eighth case of the novel coronavirus in the United States was announced in Boston on Saturday. It was the first case of the new illness in Massachusetts, New England and the East Coast.
So here’s what we know.
The University of Massachusetts, Boston student — a man in his 20’s — landed at Logan International Airport Tuesday with a runny nose.
That was the same day the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced plans to screen passengers on flights from China. But those screenings never happened.
A day later, that student sought medical care after visiting Wuhan, China — where the deadly pneumonia-like virus was first detected in December. China has reported 304 coronavirus deaths as of Sunday.
We know he tested positive for the virus late Friday night and became the eighth confirmed case in the United States. No one in the U.S. has died of coronavirus.
Officials have quarantined the man at his Boston home. They won’t say exactly how many people have come into contact with him, only that the number is small.
In the meantime, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is assuring the city that there is no threat to the public.
"We’re going to keep an eye on certainly get information out there to the public. If there any other cases we'll let people know any other threats to let people now," Walsh said.
UMass Boston has sent out a statement to students that said since the threat to the public is low, nothing in day-to-day procedures has changed.
For those concerned about the new coronavirus, officials have noted that the flu remains a much greater threat to Americans than the new virus, and that the same things that help keep the flu from spreading, like washing your hands and refraining from touching your face, help prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.
