© WYFF North Carolina coronavirus COVID-19

Five more people in Wake County have tested presumptively positive today for COVID-19 or the novel coronavirus, health officials announced Monday.

All the people affected traveled to Boston in late February to attend a BioGen conference, according to a release from North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

Several cases of COVID-19 across the country have been tied to the conference, officials said.

(Below is last news conference North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper held Friday on coronavirus.)

These cases are not related to the Wake County individuals who tested positive last week, officials said.

All those affected are in isolation at their homes, according to health officials.

That brings the total number of people testing positive in North Carolina to seven.

The tests, conducted by the North Carolina State Laboratory of Public Health, are presumptively positive and will be confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab.

While awaiting confirmation of results from the CDC, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services will treat presumptive cases as positive and follow CDC guidelines to protect public health and limit the spread of infection.

The Wake County Public Health Division is already working to identify those individuals who came in close contact with these new cases.

Also on Monday, the Indiana State Department of Health notified North Carolina officials that a person who tested positive for COVID-19 on March 8 was in Durham and Wake counties on March 2 through March 6 while symptomatic. The person is in isolation at home in Indiana.

The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately 6 feet of a person with a COVID-19 infection for a prolonged period of time.

Based on information provided by the individual, county health officials will assess risks of exposure, determine which if any additional measures are needed such as temperature and symptom checks, quarantine and/or testing.

Because COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, North Carolinians should take the same measures that health care providers recommend to prevent the spread of the flu and other viruses, including washing your hands, avoiding touching your face, staying home if you are sick and covering coughs and sneezes with your elbow.

Anyone with questions or concerns about COVID-19 can call the North Carolina COVID-19 phone line toll-free at 866-462-3821. This helpline is staffed by the North Carolina Poison Control 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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READ THE FULL STORY:5 new cases of coronavirus reported in North Carolina, officials say

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