NC's 1st coronavirus case linked to Seattle-area outbreak

By Deborah Strange, WRAL digital journalist

Raleigh, N.C. — A man in Wake County has tested positive for coronavirus, Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday. It is North Carolina’s first case of the new illness.

The man is in isolation at home, Cooper said, and "is doing well."

"We’ve been preparing for this, and we do expect to see more cases in North Carolina," Cooper said. "We are working closely with health care providers and others to quickly identify and respond to new cases."

The patient recently traveled to Washington state and was exposed to a longterm care facility that has had numerous cases of coronavirus, or COVID-19.

Nine people have died from the illness in Washington state, all in the Seattle area. Washington state officials have reported 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

The Wake County patient traveled through Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Feb. 22, airport officials said.

The patient was not experiencing symptoms at the time, and "there was no identifiable risk from this case to other travelers," officials said.

Travelers at RDU Tuesday night took the news in stride and seemed to know what to do to keep themselves safe.

“I travel every single week for work. I’m on an airplane so I don’t have a problem with it," said Brandi Hardman, noting, "The flu kills a lot of people."

She added, "I will be honest, I washed my hands effectively today. I’ve used antibacterial lotions today."

Dr. Allan Mask said the medical science aligns with Hardman's perspective. "The majority of people that develop the virus will not die of it,” he said.

He cautioned against panic, saying 80% of people who contract the novel coronavirus have such minor symptoms that they don't actually require any medical care at all. The 20 percent who do feel quite ill need to be evaluated, and some of them will require hospitalization.

“I feel like if people just prepare themselves, get sleep, get vitamins, eat healthier (they) fight it off a lot quicker that way," said Devory Reed.

Cooper said the State Laboratory of Public Health, within the Department of Health and Human Services, is able to test patients for the COVID-19 virus.

The patient in Wake County tested positive through the Laboratory of Public Health. The results will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab.

Local health officials are identifying people who are close to the patient to monitor symptoms.

Symptoms of coronavirus can appear between two days and two weeks after exposure. Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Like the flu, coronavirus is commonly spread through viral respiratory droplets. The CDC says when an infected person coughs or sneezes, the viral droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people nearby or can be inhaled into the lungs.

It's also possible for people to catch the virus by touching an infected surface and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Cooper said people should avoid catching the virus by washing their hands, not touching their faces and covering their coughs and sneezes.

The CDC recommends people wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the bathroom, before and after eating and after coughing, sneezing and blowing their nose. If soap and water isn't available, people should use an alcohol-based hand-sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Mask said the coronavirus is particularly concerning because it's new, and health experts know relatively little about it.

"We are worried about the fact that we do not understand it," he said. "It's new. The flu as we know it has been around for a long time. We understand the process."

There is no treatment specifically for COVID-19, but there are treatments to relieve symptoms.

COVID-19 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December. Across the world, 3,085 people have died from the illness, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. More than 45,000 people have recovered from it.

Cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in more than 70 countries, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, including South Korea, Italy, Iran and Canada.