Update: Coronavirus patient under quarantine at Lackland transported to Methodist Texsan

Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and city officials confirm an evacuee quarantined at JBSA-Lackland has tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. less Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and city officials confirm an evacuee quarantined at JBSA-Lackland has tested positive for COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) Thursday, ... more Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff Photographer Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close Update: Coronavirus patient under quarantine at Lackland transported to Methodist Texsan 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: 2:52

Methodist Healthcare says the evacuee that was quarantined at JBSA-Lackland and now confirmed to have novel coronavirus is being treated at Methodist Texsan on the Northwest Side.

ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES:

A patient under quarantine at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland has been diagnosed with novel coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The individual is currently isolated, in stable condition, and receiving medical care at a designated area hospital. Officials with the CDC did not release the name of the hospital for the patient's safety.

"All people who lived or traveled in Hubei Province, China, are considered at high risk of having been exposed to this virus and are subject to a temporary 14-day quarantine upon entry into the United States," the CDC said in a statement. "This is the first person under quarantine at JBSA-Lackland who had symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19."

The patient, a solo traveler, developed a fever on Tuesday morning and was transported to the hospital. Samples were sent to the CDC for testing.

Authorities received the positive test result Wednesday evening, according to Jennifer McQuiston, a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service who is leading the CDC's quarantine efforts.

Officials are investigating where the patient went while under quarantine at Lackland and who they were potentially exposed to. They said the risk to the community is still considered low.

One official at a city press conference Thursday morning noted that bringing the individuals home from China may have saved their lives. Another emphasized the importance of empathy for people who were caught in China during the outbreak.

"We're Americans," McQuiston said. "We bring our people home and we take care of them."

This is the first confirmed coronavirus case in Texas. There have now been 15 diagnoses in the United States. Globally, the number of people infected has climbed to more than 60,000.

"There will likely be additional cases in the coming days and weeks, including among other people recently returned from Wuhan," the CDC said.

The evacuees under quarantine at Lackland are "a little bit suspicious" of one another, officials said, but in good spirits and counting down the days until they can reunite with their families.

Health workers caring for the evacuees wear personal protective equipment and are also being monitored for symptoms.

On Friday, 91 evacuees who had flown on a chartered plane from Wuhan, the Chinese city at the center of the deadly outbreak, landed at Lackland for a 14-day federal quarantine.

Officials have not yet decided to extend the quarantine in response to the confirmed case.

READ MORE: CDC: Lackland coronavirus evacuees didn’t travel with newly diagnosed passenger in California

Nearly a third of the evacuees at Lackland are children 15 or younger, health officials said, and all adults are under the age of 70.

An evacuee from China who was diagnosed with novel coronavirus in California did not travel with the passengers who were brought to Lackland, according to officials.

The evacuees at Lackland are not the only people in San Antonio under quarantine.

Officials noted Sunday that they are also "actively monitoring" Bexar County residents who had returned from China and are being self-quarantined at their homes.

At the news conference Thursday, an official said the self-quarantined individuals had been screened both in China and at ports of entry to the United States. Every one of them has been deemed "medium or low risk," and health officials are in contact with them every day.

The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Mark Dunphy is a breaking news reporter and general assignment writer. Read him on our breaking news site, MySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | mark.dunphy@express-news.net | @m_b_dunphy