Houston officials confirm first 2 cases of coronavirus
Posted March 5, 2020 4:58 pm.
Houston officials confirmed the first two cases of novel coronavirus in the nation’s third-largest county Thursday, one day after a man in a nearby suburb became the first Texan to have a positive test result outside of persons repatriated from abroad.
The newest cases involve a man and a woman who had travelled, according to a statement from Harris County Public Health. The department did not say where they had gone or disclose their condition.
“We will continue to take action by identifying potential contacts and monitoring them closely,” said Dr. Umair Shah, the county’s top health official.
The announcement came a day after Texas health officials announced that a 70-year-old man in Fort Bend County, just outside Houston, had a received a “presumptive positive” test for new virus. Officials said the man had travelled abroad and that he was in stable condition.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday there are now six laboratories in the state able to test for the virus.
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