Wake County school teacher and Johnston County resident among new coronavirus cases
State and local health officials have confirmed three new cases in Wake and Johnston counties of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. One of new cases is an elementary school teacher.
The state Department of Health and Human Services reported Saturday that are now 11 cases of COVID-19 in Wake County out of 26 cases statewide. Wake County health officials confirmed two of the cases on Saturday, including a person who is a teacher at Fuquay-Varina Elementary School.
Johnston County health officials reported Saturday that a second person in the county had tested positive. Health officials said the person lives in the same household as the first Johnston resident to test positive.
Harnett County also reported its second case on Saturday.
Health officials say the Wake teacher began feeling sick Tuesday. The Wake County Public Health Division is currently contacting anyone who may have come into close contact with the teacher, in order to assess exposure risk.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “close contact” as being within six feet of the patient for 10 minutes or more.
The Wake County Public Health team is continuing to develop a timeline of additional places the individual may have been while symptomatic, with urgent attention to school contacts. More details will be provided as these locations are developed.
Wake officials did not provide as many details on the second new case on Saturday. Wake said the person started showing symptoms March 2 and remains at home in isolation. The person’s family has also been quarantined for 14 days.
Wake also provided additional details Saturday on a patient who had tested positive on Friday. That person was at a Boston conference that employees of Biogen in the Triangle attended.
Based on that person’s activities, Wake County health officials say the greatest potential for exposure occurred:
▪ Feb. 24 and March 2 when the person visited the Biogen facility at 5000 Davis Drive in Research Triangle Park. Health officials are working to identify people who were in close contact.
▪ Feb. 29 when the person did early voting at the Optimist Park Community Center at 5900 Whittier Drive in Raleigh. Wake County Public Health has the names of the elections officials and are working with them to further assess the risk of exposure at this location.
▪ March 2-5 when the person traveled to and returned from Logan International Airport from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Health officials say that people on a flight determined to be at risk will be contacted shortly.
As of Friday, there had been 1,629 cases of coronavirus reported in the U.S. and 41 deaths from the disease, according to the CDC.
President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency around the coronavirus pandemic, opening the door for the federal government to offer some funding help for state and local governments working to stem the spread of illness. Trump said the declaration would free up as much as $50 billion, according to the Associated Press.
On Saturday, Gov. Roy Cooper announced an executive order stopping mass gatherings of more than 100 people. He also directed that K-12 public schools across the state to close for two weeks, starting March 16.
This story was originally published March 14, 2020 at 12:35 PM.
