Westchester County leaders and health officials held a news conference Tuesday, and say they are trying to track down all people that had contact with the first confirmed Westchester residents with the virus.
The New Rochelle man in his 50s is tested positive for coronavirus and is currently being treated in the hospital.
In an attempt to calm fears, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said that while these are "truly sobering moments," there is "no reason to overreact." Latimer warns that Westchester is likely to see more cases of the coronavirus in the coming days and weeks.
WATCH the news conference and see the county executive get a flu shot:
Latimer said in his news conference that the county is on heightened alert. He said it's a problematic situation without clear answers.
Part of the big task ahead is conducting an investigation to backtrack and figure out all the places the man and his family have gone to over the past weeks. Latimer says the family, a wife and a high school student and college student, are now quarantined inside their New Rochelle home until health officials can confirm they are safe.
Officials are asking anyone who knows that they came in contact with the patient or his family to contact them and get tested. It is unclear how he contracted the disease, but he did spend about four days at the Lawrence Hospital in Bronxville before being transferred to a hospital in New York City.
They also say if you fear you have the coronavirus, health officials say you should not go to the hospital. They recommend that you call health care providers from your home because the facility you go to needs to prepare for your arrival.
The odds are in your favor since they say that 80% of people who contract the virus will not feel any symptoms at all.
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