WATERBURY-The patient who has the first presumptive coronavirus case in Vermont is hospitalized in Bennington, state Heath Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said Sunday morning.

The patient is from Bennington County, in Vermont's southwestern corner, Levine said. The county borders New York and Massachusetts, which have both also reported cases of coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.

The patient is receiving “high quality, compassionate care” at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Levine said during a news conference in Waterbury late Sunday morning. The patient is hospitalized in an airborne infection isolation room.

"Obviously that means this patient is on the more serious end of the spectrum of illness," Levine said. "I want to remind everyone though that the science as we currently understand it tells us that over 80% of affected individuals with COVID-19 will have mild to moderate illness and do not require hospitalization."

The officials declined to name the gender, age or hometown of the patient, citing privacy concerns.

Officials are awaiting confirmation of the presumptive positive test from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) per standard protocol, Levine said. Confirmation could take up to 48 hours.

Even though they are waiting for confirmation, Vermont officials have begun taking action to treat the person and reduce further exposure to the illness.

"I want to take a moment to assure Vermonters the state was prepared to manage this case," said Gov. Phil Scott at Sunday's news conference. Scott and Levine were joined by Agency of Human Services Secretary Mike Smith and Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety Christopher Herrick.

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Health department is tracing possible exposure

Vermont officials are investigating how the patient may have been exposed to coronavirus and who else the person may have exposed, including family, friends, unsuspecting members of the public and medical personnel. Levine said it is unclear how the patient contracted the virus.

"It's not believed to be related to travel yet, but we're trying to have complete comprehensive information," Levine said.

Officials also said they are investigating whether the patient went anywhere for treatment before ending up at the Bennington hospital. Levine said the case came to the department's attention when the person became ill and sought treatment at the hospital.

"Part of our investigation on this case right now is those medical professionals who were in first contact finding out exactly how much equipment they had on at the time, if they were at any risk or not," Levine said.

He added, "We want to make sure that anyone who may have been even casually exposed in the hospital setting, we're aware of them, they're aware of their potential risk and the appropriate protections can be in place.

Those who will be treating the patient from this point forward will be wearing personal protective equipment, Levine said.

Vermont coronavirus: Officials say state is prepared for outbreak

As of Sunday afternoon, there were 224 people in Vermont being monitored for coronavirus symptoms. An additional 23 had completed monitoring, and 28 had tested negative for the illness,according to data on the Vermont Health Department's website.

In a statement, Commissioner Levine said state officials had been hoping coronavirus would not come to Vermont, but were prepared to deal with the disease.

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“Our first thoughts are with this patient and for their recovery,” Levine said. He added, "This new coronavirus can be serious and even deadly, but the state is mobilized to protect the health of Vermonters and we are prepared for the likelihood of more cases."

Vermont officials have also been in contact with health and safety officials from surrounding states, including New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

"They understand what we're facing so they can watch for it themselves," Scott said. "It's really important, as a region, for all of us to work together in these times to share as much information as possible."

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Protecting the most vulnerable — the elderly

Some senior care or long-term care facilities in Vermont have begun using a questionnaire for visitors to determine whether they pose a risk to the elderly population they serve, according to Levine. He is also planning to offer this questionnaire to Vermont hospitals so they can pose the questions to visitors.

Individual facilities can make the final decision as to whether they want to use the questionnaire. The process includes four questions:

Have you been to one of the high-risk countries?

Have you been exposed to or in contact with someone with COVID-19?

Do you have a fever or cough?

Have you been to a health care facility where someone has been treated for COVID-19?

Outbreaks across the world have shown that the elderly and people with chronic medical conditions are most at-risk of severe illness or death from coronavirus. Health department officials are most concerned about Vermonters with diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory issues or conditions that compromise their immune systems.

Coronavirus worldwide: By the numbers

Coronavirus has touched at least 120 countries.

Confirmed cases outside of the U.S. include China, Iran, Italy, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, France, Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines, and on a cruise ship, according to Johns Hopkins.

Here's a breakdown of worldwide numbers, as of Saturday, March 14:

More than 156,000 cases

cases More than 72,600 people have recovered

people have recovered At least 3,280 people have died in more than 40 countries

Coronavirus symptoms: When should you call the Health Department?

The Vermont Health Department is asking anyone who returned from China, South Korea, Italy or Iran after March 4 to stay home and monitor symptoms for 14 days. Travelers returning from Japan should also monitor their symptoms, but there is no request to stay home unless advised by the Health Department.

All of those travelers should contact the Health Department at 802-863-7240 to discuss monitoring, the department stated.

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Vermonters who develop symptoms including shortness of breath, cough and fever should contact their health care provider right away, the health department advised.

Those who are suspected to have coronavirus will undergo a swab test that is passed into the nose and down into the pharynx, Levine said. If the person is coughing up spit or mucus, the medical professional may take a sample of that as well.

For more information about Vermont's response to COVID-19 and advice for residents, visit healthvermont.gov/covid19.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 802-651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.

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