The North Dakota Department of Health confirmed the state’s first presumptive case of novel COVID-19 in a Ward County resident Wednesday.

Prior to becoming ill, the individual who tested positive for COVID-19 had traveled out of state where he had contact with a person who has since tested positive for the disease.

As the NDDOH awaits confirmation testing from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), team members are working to identify people who may have come into close contact with the individual in order to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

The NDDoH has tested 27 individuals for COVID-19. Twelve tests came back negative, and results for 14 tests are still pending.

Gov. Doug Burgum and health officials will hold a press conference at 9 a.m. Thursday.