First Orange County Resident Tests Positive for Coronavirus
The coronavirus has officially spread to another county in the Hudson Valley.
On Thursday morning, the Orange County Health Department was notified of the first positive test result of an Orange County resident for coronavirus (COVID-19). The person is presently hospitalized and isolated, officials say.
“When a positive test occurs, the healthcare provider creates a line list,” Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman said. “What that means is a list is created of all persons the patient was in contact with. The County Health Department then contacts people on that list to notify them of the potential exposure. Such persons are assessed using clinical criteria to
determine their symptoms and the potential need for testing.”
Officials haven't said where the person lives, how he may have contracted the virus or what hospital he went to for the confirmed test. We will update this story if more information is made available.
On Wednesday, officials confirmed a second person tested positive for coronavirus in Ulster County. Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan says it’s an elderly man who may have had contact with employees from the Wallkill Central School District.
As a precaution, all five schools in the Wallkill school district have been closed until next week for cleaning. We later learned the man went to a medical facility in Orange County for his confirmed coronavirus test.
Many schools in Orange and Dutchess counties announced proactive coronavirus measures.
"We have been preparing for this prospect for several weeks and are in regular contact with our healthcare providers. I encourage people with fever, cough, shortness of breath or other signs of illness to contact their healthcare provider before appearing at their doctor’s office. This minimizes (the) chance of more unnecessary exposure, ” Gelman said.
The 259th St. Patrick's Day Parade has been postponed. Other St. Patrick's parades in the Hudson Valley have also been postponed or canceled.
A few days before coronavirus was confirmed in Orange County, Mount Saint Mary College ordered all students and staff to stay away from the campus until at least the end of the month. SUNY and CUNY schools announced students will take online classes for the rest of the semester.
Marist College announced it's going to extend spring break one week. As of this writing, there's no confirmed case in Dutchess County, but officials announced a press conference will be held at 3 p.m. to provide updates on updates related to COVID-19 in Dutchess County. Hudson Valley Post will be at the press conference and will provide updates when they are announced.
Update: Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the first positive coronavirus case in Dutchess County Wednesday afternoon.
In New York State, as of Wednesday afternoon, there were over 215 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in New York, including 52 in New York City and 121 in Westchester County. In the Lower Hudson Valley, where there are 127 confirmed cases. Many are in New Rochelle, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo created a coronavirus "containment zone."