Press Releases

Governor Lamont Announces First Positive Case of Novel Coronavirus Involving a Connecticut Resident

(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) State Laboratory has confirmed the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) involving a Connecticut resident. The patient, a resident of Wilton who is 40 to 50 years of age, is being treated at Danbury Hospital. The person most likely became infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 during a recent trip to California and sought medical care shortly after returning to Connecticut.

This presumptive COVID-19 case is not related to the COVID-19 case involving a Danbury Hospital employee who is a resident of New York State that was announced on Friday, or the COVID-19 case involving a community physician who made rounds at Bridgeport Hospital and is also a New York State resident that was announced on Saturday.

This case is considered a presumptive positive case until it is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Extensive contact tracing is being done on this case. All people who have had direct, face-to-face contact with this person are being instructed to stay home and self-isolate. Risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 is considered low for people who had contact with an individual who does not have COVID-19 and does not have symptoms. In other words, a contact of a contact is considered low risk.

Data updates as of 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 8, 2020:

Number of Connecticut COVID-19 positive (including presumptive positive cases): 1

Number of people who had negative test results at the Connecticut DPH State Laboratory: 29

Number of people for whom test results are pending: 8

“We have been expecting for some time that a Connecticut resident would become infected with COVID-19, so this should not come as a surprise to anybody,” Governor Lamont said. “We wish this patient a full recovery and we know he is being cared for by highly competent medical teams. My administration and the Department of Public Health are working around the clock to help conduct contact investigations for this case and any others who test positive in the future. I encourage anyone with questions about how to protect yourself and your family from this virus to go online at ct.gov/coronavirus to obtain important guidance and other information or call the 2-1-1 info line.

“Now is a time when we need to look after our health and change some of our habits in order to reduce the spread of infection,” the governor said. “Avoid shaking hands with people to stop the spread of germs. Wash your hands with soap and clean commonly touched surfaces. If you start to feel ill, call your medical provider for guidance. If you are traveling, go online to our site to see the latest guidance. If the travel is not essential, you should reconsider.”

Dr. John Murphy, president and CEO of Nuvance Health, the hospital system that includes Danbury Hospital, said, “First, we want our patient and their family to know that we are here for them, and to our other patients, staff, volunteers, and communities, we are working around the clock to contain the spread of COVID-19. Second, it’s important to emphasize that this patient is in no way related to the hospital employee from New York who tested positive for the virus. This patient’s infection is connected to recent out-of-state travel. We understand there is a lot of concern. Please know that we have been preparing for this new outbreak for the last several weeks, and we have years of experience effectively dealing with infectious diseases.

“Our readiness for COVID-19 cases at our hospitals is thorough and standardized across our health system,” Dr. Murphy said. “We have been, and will continue to work closely with local and state health departments and follow guidelines for preparedness and care. We want to reassure our communities that we intend to continue operating our hospitals with minimal interruptions, while we implement new policies to ensure the health and safety of everyone.”

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