Coronavirus Westborough: First Positive Case

Westborough MA

20 March, 2020

11:17 AM

Description

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Westborough has its first positive case of the new coronavirus. The town announced on Thursday that the infected resident is recovering at home — no other details could be released. "The Westborough Board of Health will continue to work with Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to ensure any affected residents are properly monitored, quarantined and isolated as each case dictates," the town said. Nearby in Shrewsbury, the state's first pilot CVS drive-thru testing site was set up. Several hospitals and health centers in the state have opened as testing centers for the virus, including Dorchester Hospital, UMass Medical Center in Worcester and Lowell and Lawrence General Hospitals. Don't miss updates about precautions in your area as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21. The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment. According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available. To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.