NORTH CAROLINA — A Wake County resident has tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the governor’s office confirmed Tuesday.

  • NC health officials confirm the first positive case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19)
  • Officials say a Wake County resident likely contracted the virus during a trip to Washington state
  • Officials urge residents to continue taking simple preventive measures like washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, and covering coughs and sneezes

According to a news release, the test conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health is “presumptively positive” and will be confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab.

The person appears to have contracted the virus after visiting a long-term care facility in the State of Washington, where there is currently an outbreak of coronavirus. Officials say the person is currently isolated at their home and doing well.

“I know that people are worried about this virus, and I want to assure North Carolinians our state is prepared,” Gov. Cooper said in a statement. “Our task force and state agencies are working closely with local health departments, health care providers, and others to quickly identify and respond to cases that might occur.”

The local health department is working to identify close contacts of the individual, monitor symptoms, and contain the spread. The person did travel through RDU on February 22, according to a release, but health officials say the passenger “was not experiencing symptoms when they traveled through Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Based on CDC guidance, there was no identifiable risk from this case to other travelers.”

Officials say no additional information about the person will be provided to protect individual privacy.

The governor’s office says this is an isolated case, and COVID-19 is not currently widespread in North Carolina.

Full coverage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)

Following the announcement, Senator Thom Tillis also released a statement saying, "The health and well-being of North Carolinians is my top priority, and I’m working to make sure Congress comes together on a bipartisan basis to provide billions of dollars in federal assistance to combat the coronavirus and protect North Carolinians. I’m in close communication with Vice President Pence and other federal leaders, and I will do everything I can to continue supporting our state’s medical institutions, universities, and health care systems, which are some of the best in the world and have a proven track record in treating infectious diseases."

Residents should continue to take simple preventive measures against the spread of viruses like COVID-19 and the flu, including washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, and covering coughs and sneezes.

Cooper’s recently established Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Task Force is continuing to take the following measures to monitor and respond to any possible outbreak:

  • Aggressively pursuing a containment strategy of rapid identification, testing, and contact tracing.
  • Engaging in daily collaboration with federal, state, and local partners to ensure a rapid response.
  • Mobilizing resources for our providers, local public health system, local emergency management, and others.
  • Developing detailed response plans for multiple sectors for a range of scenarios.
  • Developing guidance for planning for multiple sectors for a range of scenarios.
  • Preparing healthcare providers and facilities to streamline and standardize response activities.
  • Activating a Joint Information Center to provide timely information.
  • Testing patients in the NC State Laboratory of Public Health.
  • Leading regular calls with local health departments, hospitals and local emergency management.
  • Providing guidelines for health care providers, child care, employers, schools, colleges and universities, and others.
  • Monitoring residents who have returned from China through local health departments.
  • Staffing a COVID-19 phone line to answer urgent questions from the public.
  • Maintaining an up-to-date website with information about COVID-19 disease, risk, and guidance.