Person tested for coronavirus in New Hampshire

UPDATE (March 2, 2020): The test came back positive.

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The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services has announced a person in New Hampshire is being tested for the new coronavirus. The person recently returned from Italy and developed a fever and respiratory symptoms after returning.

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According to DHHS, the person is isolated and being monitored by public health clinicians and does not currently pose a threat to the public’s health. Officials said test results are expected to return as early as Monday.

"They are not sick enough to be in a hospital," said Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire state epidemiologist. "They are isolated at home and out of the public. While we initiate testing. We hope to have quick answers here in a day or so."

This is the fourth case of a person being tested for the coronavirus in New Hampshire, with all previous tests returning negative.

Instructions for returning travelers to self-observe for symptoms of COVID-19

DHHS said it has developed coronavirus-testing capabilities in the New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories. Previously, all testing for the coronavirus was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials anticipate PHL having the capacity to perform the test by Monday.

The CDC still conducts confirmatory tests on any presumptive positive tests results to confirm findings, according to DHHS.

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