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ALBANY - New York confirmed its first positive case of coronavirus on Sunday night.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the first case of novel coronavirus — or COVID-19 — was diagnosed in a woman in her late 30s, who contracted the virus traveling abroad in Iran.

She is isolated in her home. The woman lives in Manhattan, a state official told the USA TODAY Network New York.

Cuomo said the patient has respiratory symptoms, "but is not in serious condition and has been in a controlled situation since arriving to New York."

Cuomo said the first case, which came after more than two dozen negative tests on patients, was confirmed at the state's Wadsworth Lab in Albany, just a day after New York received federal approval to test for the virus in-state.

More: Coronavirus: New York gets approval to begin COVID-19 testing in state lab immediately

He said the ability to test in New York underscored "the importance of the ability for our state to ensure efficient and rapid turnaround, and is exactly why I advocated for the approval from Vice President Pence that New York was granted just yesterday."

State officials have warned for weeks that it was likely the state of nearly 20 million with the largest city in the nation would ultimately have positive cases.

Cuomo is asking the state Legislature for $40 million to help the state Health Department respond.

"There is no cause for surprise — this was expected," Cuomo said in a statement.

"As I said from the beginning, it was a matter of when, not if there would be a positive case of novel coronavirus in New York."

Less than 80 cases have been confirmed so far in the U.S., but worldwide there have been nearly 3,000 deaths and about 87,000 cases.

"There is no reason for undue anxiety — the general risk remains low in New York," Cuomo continued.

"We are diligently managing this situation and will continue to provide information as it becomes available."

More: Coronavirus in NY schools: What you need to know about remote learning, quarantines and study abroad

More: Coronavirus: Voluntary quarantine rules applied to about 700 travelers who returned to NY from China

Joseph Spector is the New York state editor for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at JSPECTOR@Gannett.com or followed on Twitter: @GannettAlbany

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This article originally appeared on New York State Team: New York has its first case of coronavirus. Here are the details

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