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| Maryland health officials interview coronavirus victims to identify others who could be at risk | |
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| Maryland officials said Friday that they have launched a broad search for individuals who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus by one of three Montgomery County residents who have been diagnosed with the virus. | Maryland officials said Friday that they have launched a broad search for individuals who may have been exposed to the novel coronavirus by one of three Montgomery County residents who have been diagnosed with the virus. |
| All three — a husband and wife in their 70s and a woman in her 50s — were on a cruise overseas and returned to Maryland on Feb. 20, officials have said. They experienced flu-like symptoms shortly after arriving home, and they sought medical treatment. | All three — a husband and wife in their 70s and a woman in her 50s — were on a cruise overseas and returned to Maryland on Feb. 20, officials have said. They experienced flu-like symptoms shortly after arriving home, and they sought medical treatment. |
| But they were not tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, for nearly two weeks, because at the time of their return, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended tests only for people who had been traveling in China, Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles said. Officials declined to say where the three had been traveling but said they did not meet those testing guidelines. | But they were not tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, for nearly two weeks, because at the time of their return, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended tests only for people who had been traveling in China, Montgomery County Health Officer Travis Gayles said. Officials declined to say where the three had been traveling but said they did not meet those testing guidelines. |
| The three patients are “in good condition,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Thursday night. They are quarantined in their homes in the county, a large and affluent suburb of about 1 million people just outside Washington. The woman is not related to the couple. | The three patients are “in good condition,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Thursday night. They are quarantined in their homes in the county, a large and affluent suburb of about 1 million people just outside Washington. The woman is not related to the couple. |
| Live updates: The latest coronavirus developments in the U.S. and globally | Live updates: The latest coronavirus developments in the U.S. and globally |
| At a news conference Friday morning, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) urged residents to stay calm and said the state and county had been working for weeks to prepare for a possible outbreak. | At a news conference Friday morning, Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) urged residents to stay calm and said the state and county had been working for weeks to prepare for a possible outbreak. |
| “There is no reason to panic,” Elrich said. “Life as you know it should continue pretty much as it was.” | “There is no reason to panic,” Elrich said. “Life as you know it should continue pretty much as it was.” |
| Gayles said there is no reason at this point to consider any widespread closures of schools, offices or other institutions in the county. Rather, he said, people who feel sick should stay home, and everyone should take basic precautions like washing their hands using hand sanitizer, and avoiding contact with those who are ill. | Gayles said there is no reason at this point to consider any widespread closures of schools, offices or other institutions in the county. Rather, he said, people who feel sick should stay home, and everyone should take basic precautions like washing their hands using hand sanitizer, and avoiding contact with those who are ill. |
| Hogan has declared a state of emergency to speed the delivery of funding and other resources to address the virus. | Hogan has declared a state of emergency to speed the delivery of funding and other resources to address the virus. |
| As of Friday morning, 41 Maryland residents had been tested for the coronavirus. Twenty-six of the tests were negative, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Twelve were pending. The only three positive tests were the Montgomery County residents. | As of Friday morning, 41 Maryland residents had been tested for the coronavirus. Twenty-six of the tests were negative, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Twelve were pending. The only three positive tests were the Montgomery County residents. |
| No cases of the coronavirus have been diagnosed in Virginia or the District. | No cases of the coronavirus have been diagnosed in Virginia or the District. |
| Maryland officials said the state contacted the three Montgomery County patients earlier this week, after learning from the CDC that they were on a trip that included exposure to the coronavirus. | Maryland officials said the state contacted the three Montgomery County patients earlier this week, after learning from the CDC that they were on a trip that included exposure to the coronavirus. |
| Deputy health secretary Fran Phillips said the victims were able to bring themselves to a hospital Wednesday, wearing “protective precautions.” Specimens were collected and they returned home, where they remained in quarantine as of Thursday evening. | Deputy health secretary Fran Phillips said the victims were able to bring themselves to a hospital Wednesday, wearing “protective precautions.” Specimens were collected and they returned home, where they remained in quarantine as of Thursday evening. |
| They were each mildly to moderately ill, and their symptoms are abating, Phillips said. | They were each mildly to moderately ill, and their symptoms are abating, Phillips said. |
| Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. | Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. |
| State and county health officials are trying to determine who else may have been exposed in the days between the victims’ arrival home and when they were tested. They want to clarify exactly where the victims were, “how they came back here and what they’ve been doing since they’ve been back,” Elrich said. | State and county health officials are trying to determine who else may have been exposed in the days between the victims’ arrival home and when they were tested. They want to clarify exactly where the victims were, “how they came back here and what they’ve been doing since they’ve been back,” Elrich said. |
| Gayles said state investigators have conducted in-depth interviews with all three patients, known as “contact tracing.” In general, such interviews are conducted either over the phone or in-person, with the investigators wearing protective gear. | |
| Officials try to map out where a person traveled to before being quarantined, who they came into contact with, and what that “quality of interaction” was, Gayles said, taking into account factors like whether they were physically proximate and whether they hugged or shared food. | |
| Each person who had contact with a coronavirus victim is then assigned a risk level, and depending on that assessment, health officials may then decide to do another level of contact tracing. | |
| In Montgomery, the three individuals had limited their external interaction leading up to their quarantine because they were not feeling well, Gayles said. They had not been to work, for example. It was not immediately clear how many additional people were considered at-risk and assigned for follow-up contact. The patients are not believed to have had significant contact with children, officials said. | |
| The county’s health department has activated an emergency command center in Silver Spring, Gayles said. Essential personnel will gather at this center, which typically serves as a conference room, to coordinate efforts with the state. | |
| Thirty-one Virginia residents have been tested for coronavirus as of Friday, including 21 whose tests came back negative and 10 that are pending. Three of the pending cases are in Northern Virginia. Nine D.C. residents have been tested; eight tests came back negative, while one is pending. | Thirty-one Virginia residents have been tested for coronavirus as of Friday, including 21 whose tests came back negative and 10 that are pending. Three of the pending cases are in Northern Virginia. Nine D.C. residents have been tested; eight tests came back negative, while one is pending. |
| About 70 miles west of Washington, Wakefield Country Day School near Huntly, Va., kept its 132 students home Thursday and Friday as a precaution after a group of students and adults recently visited Italy, France and Switzerland for five days. | About 70 miles west of Washington, Wakefield Country Day School near Huntly, Va., kept its 132 students home Thursday and Friday as a precaution after a group of students and adults recently visited Italy, France and Switzerland for five days. |
| The school was on winter break last week, then students who traveled to Europe stayed home this week before officials closed the school for two days. No students have shown signs of illness. | The school was on winter break last week, then students who traveled to Europe stayed home this week before officials closed the school for two days. No students have shown signs of illness. |
| Head of School Jessica Andrus Lindstrom said by the time the school reopens Monday, students who went to Europe will have been away for the 14-day quarantine period recommended by the CDC. | Head of School Jessica Andrus Lindstrom said by the time the school reopens Monday, students who went to Europe will have been away for the 14-day quarantine period recommended by the CDC. |
| In Maryland, the General Assembly has fast-tracked a request from Hogan to access $50 million from the state’s rainy day fund to deal with the coronavirus. The Senate unanimously approved the request on Friday, and the House was expected to vote later in the day. Hogan also submitted a supplemental budget request for fiscal 2021 that would allocate $10 million in emergency expenses to prepare for the coronavirus. | |
| Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) issued a warning to Maryland residents about scams involving the virus. Frosh said scammers are setting up websites to sell “bogus health products that claim to prevent or cure COVID-19.” They are also sending fake emails, texts and social media posts to steal money and personal information, posing as the CDC and the World Health Organization. | |
| Frosh recommended that residents contact his office’s Consumer Protection Division or reporting it to WHO. | |
| As members of Congress prepare their Capitol Hill offices for the possibility of having to work from home for weeks on end, Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.) on Thursday introduced legislation to expand telework across the federal government. | As members of Congress prepare their Capitol Hill offices for the possibility of having to work from home for weeks on end, Reps. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and John Sarbanes (D-Md.) on Thursday introduced legislation to expand telework across the federal government. |
| The bill would prohibit agencies from making across-the-board cuts to telework availability, require agencies to notify Congress about and justify any plans to restrict telework, and ensure that agencies to report on cost savings derived from telework. | The bill would prohibit agencies from making across-the-board cuts to telework availability, require agencies to notify Congress about and justify any plans to restrict telework, and ensure that agencies to report on cost savings derived from telework. |
| Lawmakers also want the Office of Personnel Management to establish guidelines for agencies on how to set goals for and report cost savings of telework. | Lawmakers also want the Office of Personnel Management to establish guidelines for agencies on how to set goals for and report cost savings of telework. |
| How the virus spread in New York: From a man to his family. Then a neighbor. Then friends. | How the virus spread in New York: From a man to his family. Then a neighbor. Then friends. |
| Anxiety about the global coronavirus outbreak has made health care become a top concern for many Maryland residents, according to a Gonzales poll released late Wednesday. | |
| In Montgomery County on Friday morning, Judy Black, 67, was one of a string of people who stopped by a Bethesda CVS to grab some hand sanitizer — to no avail. | In Montgomery County on Friday morning, Judy Black, 67, was one of a string of people who stopped by a Bethesda CVS to grab some hand sanitizer — to no avail. |
| Black said the CVS along Old Georgetown Road was the only one in the area whose website suggested it had the product in stock. But when she got to aisle 12, they were already out. She picked up the store’s last few bottles of antibacterial soap instead, then shared them with others in the checkout line who had come for the same thing. | Black said the CVS along Old Georgetown Road was the only one in the area whose website suggested it had the product in stock. But when she got to aisle 12, they were already out. She picked up the store’s last few bottles of antibacterial soap instead, then shared them with others in the checkout line who had come for the same thing. |
| “It’s a difficult situation,” Black, a special-education teacher, said of the spread of the coronavirus in general. Teachers don’t have enough hand sanitizer to help keep their students’ hands clean. | “It’s a difficult situation,” Black, a special-education teacher, said of the spread of the coronavirus in general. Teachers don’t have enough hand sanitizer to help keep their students’ hands clean. |
| “My dentist was out of it. I’m trying to get one for my friend who is a teacher,” she said. “It’s not panic, but it’s very difficult to be conscious and cautious and not create panic.” | “My dentist was out of it. I’m trying to get one for my friend who is a teacher,” she said. “It’s not panic, but it’s very difficult to be conscious and cautious and not create panic.” |
| Black said she is reconsidering her travel plans for the spring, as are many others she has talked with. “A lot of people are wondering whether they should take their kids anywhere for spring break,” she said. | Black said she is reconsidering her travel plans for the spring, as are many others she has talked with. “A lot of people are wondering whether they should take their kids anywhere for spring break,” she said. |
| There was a steady stream of customers at the counter of Bethesda Bagels, where Danny Fleishman, the small chain’s president, said so far business remains good. | There was a steady stream of customers at the counter of Bethesda Bagels, where Danny Fleishman, the small chain’s president, said so far business remains good. |
| “It’s a little scary from a business standpoint. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. Weekends tend to be busy, he said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.” | “It’s a little scary from a business standpoint. You never know what’s going to happen,” he said. Weekends tend to be busy, he said. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.” |
| Fleischman said he and his employees are doubling up on hand-washing and other safety measures. “In a couple of weeks, who knows? But we’re just taking it day by day,” he said. | Fleischman said he and his employees are doubling up on hand-washing and other safety measures. “In a couple of weeks, who knows? But we’re just taking it day by day,” he said. |
| Correction: An earlier photo caption misidentified the official speaking with President Trump in Bethesda. It is Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. | Correction: An earlier photo caption misidentified the official speaking with President Trump in Bethesda. It is Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. |
| Rachel Chason, Erin Cox, Dana Hedgpeth and Steve Thompson contributed to this report. | Rachel Chason, Erin Cox, Dana Hedgpeth and Steve Thompson contributed to this report. |
| Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. | Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. |
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