Swampscott Coronavirus: Town Has First Presumed Case

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The town said Monday that it has its first presumed case of coronavirus.

In a note to residents, Swampscott Assistant Town Administrator Allie Fiskesaid the person is self-isolating. The town did not release other details, citing healthcare privacy rules.

"While we cannot provide any additional specific information to the public including family information, places recently visited, or close contacts, the Health Department will publicly share the number of presumed positive cases in our community as this information is updated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which is performing extensive contact tracing to identify close contacts of this case," Fiske said.

A "presumptive positive" designation means the person tested positive at the state lab, but has'the test has not been confirmed by Centers for Disease Control.

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Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

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