In a burgeoning outbreak, 10 more Rochester-area residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including at least four linked to a Greece Arcadia Middle School worker who tested positive for the coronavirus Friday.

One particularly troubling new case is an Ontario County resident who works in the Friendly Home in Brighton, potentially exposing the nursing home's highly vulnerable residents to the virus.

At a news conference Monday morning, Ontario County officials said that county's first case is a woman in her 50's who resides in Victor, and works at the Friendly Home in Brighton.

The woman felt ill last week and on Friday went to an urgent care facility in Ontario County. County health officials were informed that she had tested positive for COVID-19 Sunday evening.

The woman and her husband are under mandatory quarantine in their home, said Ontario County Public Health Director Mary Beer.

Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said at a news conference Monday afternoon he was aware of another county resident who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Monday. He provided no details.

On Sunday night, Monroe health officials announced that eight more county residents have been confirmed with COVID-19 cases. The Ontario County case, made public late Sunday night, was the first in a county bordering Monroe.

County officials released the following details Sunday:

►Four of the new cases have a clear connection to the Greece Arcadia Middle School worker, who was hospitalized Wednesday and diagnosed two days later. All four individuals are adults, not students.

►Additionally, one new case is an employee of Greece Athena High School. Monroe County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza is recommending all faculty, staff and families monitor for symptoms

►The children of one of the cases discovered Sunday evening are enrolled at The Unique Child Day Care Center, 4 Meigs St. in Rochester.Mendoza has ordered it to close for 48 hours.

Of the eight new cases in Monroe County, one patient is in Rochester General Hospital, one patient is in Unity Hospital, one patient is in Highland Hospital and five patients are at home. All are in isolation.

An employee of the Friendly Home, 3156 East Ave. in Brighton tested positive for the coronavirus on Sunday.

In a statement, the county said the nursing home's chief executive told them the employee does not provide direct care to the residents.

One Rochester Fire Department firefighter who interacted with a person who tested positive has also been quarantined, according to Monroe County Health Commissioner Michael Mendoza.

The health department has begun contact tracing on all eight county residents who tested positive, a press release said.

March 15 stories

If anyone who came into contact with the infected people is deemed to be at high risk, that person will be contacted by the county, which is also working to determine any locations where the general public could have been exposed.

The firefighter responded to an EMS call for one of the confirmed cases. He is asymptomatic, but was potentially exposed to the virus and is in self-quarantine as a precaution.

Previous cases in the county include a man who rode the Greyhound #252 bus to Rochester from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City after flying into the U.S. from Italy, and a Greece Arcadia Middle School employee. Both are still in isolation.

County officials are searching for individuals who may have disembarked the Greyhound #252 bus on the morning of March 10 with the first individual.

Testing standards in the area are now relaxed, and include:

People who have had close contact, such as being in the same room, with someone known to be positive with COVID-19

People showing signs of illness who have returned from a country listed as a Level 3 or Level 2 threat. Level 3 countries at present are China, South Korea, Iran and nearly all of Europe. Many other countries, including the United States, are now listed as Level 2.

People in quarantine who develop symptoms of COVID-19 illness

People showing symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough and shortness of breath and who have had negative results on tests for other infectious pathogens

Other cases where the facts and circumstances warrant, as determined by the treating clinician in consultation with state and local department of health officials.

The county is not doing screening for people who are asymptomatic, with some exceptions for people who work in high-risk settings such as hospitals.

A state lab in Albany and a county lab in Erie County have tested samples from Monroe County patients. Rochester Regional Health said it had developed limited capacity to test patients in-house, but could not make the service available more broadly.

The University of Rochester Medical Center has said it hopes to begin testing in its lab next week. The capacity of that lab is not yet known.

The county repeated oft-given advice that people who are concerned about COVID-19 should call their health-care provider to be evaluated over the phone and then follow the guidance of the provider. People without a health-care provider can call the county health department COVID-19 hotline at (585) 753-5555.

STADDEO@Gannett.com

Sarah Taddeo is the consumer watchdog reporter for USA Today Network's New York State Team. She investigates stories about your consumer rights, including scams, negligent landlords, safety issues and wayward businesses.

Got a story tip or comment? Contact Sarah at STADDEO@Gannett.com or (585) 258-2774. Follow her on Twitter @Sjtaddeo. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.

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