Chatham County announces two new coronavirus cases. UNC says employee tested positive.

Health officials announced Tuesday that two additional residents in Chatham County have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county’s number of cases to three.

The announcement came moments before Chatham County Board of Commissioners announced that it had declared a state of emergency.

Shortly after that announcement, UNC-Chapel Hill alerted students, faculty and staff that a UNC employee tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

The UNC employee is isolating themselves at home. Anyone who has been in close contact with the person will be notified and provided with guidance about what to do next, according to the university.

Chatham County officials would not confirm if the university employee was one of its cases, but Orange County does not have any confirmed cases.

The new coronavirus cases brought the total number of patients in North Carolina to at least 48.

The Chatham County Public Health Department released no other details about the residents but said health officials will continue to monitor them. Officials plan to follow up with anyone who came in contact with these residents.

On March 6, state health officials announced that a patient who lives in Chatham County and had traveled to Italy had been diagnosed with the coronavirus.

This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 2:46 PM.