Officials say Orange County’s 1st person has tested positive for the coronavirus

Officials in Orange County say a person has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first in the county.

News 12 Staff

Mar 12, 2020, 9:22 PM

Updated 1,597 days ago

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Officials in Orange County say a person has tested positive for the coronavirus, the first in the county.
Health officials say the patient is now in isolation at St. Luke's Hospital in Newburgh after coming in with symptoms and testing positive.
A total of 26 hospital employees who came in contact with that patient are now under quarantine as a result, according to the Orange County Health Department.
The positive diagnosis comes one day after an Ulster County man tested positive for coronavirus at Crystal Run Healthcare in the Town of Wallkill, which is also in Orange County.
Health officials say dozens of people who had direct contact with both of those patients have been notified to self-quarantine.
Hospital officials in Newburgh say their staff members exposed are now on paid leave.
"There were people that came into contact with this individual who are employees, who we did, and have now, put on furlough. We don't expect nor suspect that they are ill. We definitely know that they are not currently ill. And we don't expect them to become ill. However, just following CDC federal state guidelines as well as the advice of Orange County Department of Health, we are just doing the right thing by our employees,” says Dan Moore, of Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital.
During the news conference, Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman stressed that overall risk to the public remains low.
Health officials will not disclose where the patient with coronavirus lives in Orange County. Their condition is also unknown.
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