Oregon on Sunday identified a second patient with presumptive coronavirus as state health officials braced for the likelihood that future testing will identify more Oregonians with the potentially deadly virus.

Officials provided limited information about the new case but said it is linked to Oregon’s first coronavirus case identified Friday.

The new case involves a Washington County adult who is a “household contact” with the first person with coronavirus. The adult did not require medical attention and is isolated at home.

That patient increased Oregon’s presumed total to two on the same day that coronavirus cases grew nationally to at least 75, with new patients reported in Washington, California, Rhode Island and New York.

CORONAVIRUS IN OREGON: FULL COVERAGE

The continued spread in Washington, home to America’s first two fatalities, prompted researchers to suggest the virus may have been undetected in that community for weeks. There could now be 300 to 500 carriers in Washington, according to The New York Times.

Oregon officials on Sunday would not speculate how many people locally could be infected with the virus but did note that a flu carrier can typically infect two to three other individuals.

Oregon’s first patient, a Washington County resident who works at Forest Hills elementary in Lake Oswego, became infected from an unknown source and is hospitalized in an undisclosed condition.

State officials issued a pragmatic message to Oregonians who are scared by the outbreak, recognizing an all-but-inevitable spread while trying to instill confidence in the medical response.

“We will continue to identify cases in Oregon, this number will continue to increase,” Dr. Dean Sidelinger, Oregon’s state health officer, said Sunday night.

“We want people to know we’re doing everything we can to track and contain the spread,” Patrick Allen, director of the Oregon Health Authority, said.

State officials said they’ve been working since Friday to identify and monitor each person who came into close contact with the Washington County patient. Health officials would not quantify those efforts Sunday but said all contacts have been made and everyone is cooperating.

“This is your public health system at work,” said Dr. Jennifer Vines, lead health officer for the tri-county region.

State health officials completed nine tests Sunday. Aside from the single positive test, the other eight came back negative. An additional six tests are pending, with results expected Monday.

The state is monitoring the health of 86 people without symptoms but who may have been exposed, and they now must identify more people exposed to the newest individual with coronavirus.

State health officials currently have about 1,500 coronavirus tests on hand, although the number of tests needed per patient can vary. State officials say they can obtain more tests from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if necessary.

The Oregon State Public Health Laboratory can process up to 80 tests a day and is planning for “surge capacity” if needed. Turnaround time for testing is expected within half a day.

Officially known as SARS-CoV-2, the virus causes a disease dubbed COVID-19.

Several regional hospital systems were tight-lipped Sunday about whether they had any patients with coronavirus-like symptoms. Legacy Health, Kaiser Permanente and Providence hospitals declined to say if either was awaiting test results for patients, while a spokeswoman for OHSU Hospital said no tests had been submitted to the state lab.

“Eventually we’ll get to a point where commercial labs will be doing testing,” said Robb Cowie, a state spokesman. “At that point, they’ll be referring positive test results to us.”

Confirmation of the new case comes as regional school officials and employers brace for students to return to classrooms and workers to offices Monday.

Administrators from Portland advised parents of cleaning efforts while suburban schools urged families to keep sick children home. Large employers such as Nike and Columbia have taken action to help prevent the spread, conducting deep cleans over the weekend.

“Parents should feel confident they should send their children to school,” Sidelinger said.

The Lake Oswego School District plans to keep Forest Hills closed until Thursday. The employee with coronavirus had little contact with students.

Superintendent Lora de la Cruz sent a message to parents Sunday night saying state and local health officials “have concurred that the case presents a low risk to staff and students.”

The CDC had also reviewed the case, she wrote, and “determined that expanded surveillance is not needed at this time.”

While acknowledging a rapidly shifting landscape, state officials have advised the public to remain calm and practice dedicated hygiene habits – including thorough hand-washing.

Roughly 80% of people with coronavirus will experience what might feel like a bad case of the flu: a fever, bad cough and shortness of breath. Another 15% to 18% might require more advanced care from a doctor or a stay in the hospital.

A study of 72,000 cases in China found that fatality rates for the disease were just above 2%, with most deaths occurring among older populations and among those with underlying medical conditions.

While Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Saturday declared a state of emergency in response to the spread, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown has not done so.

The Oregon Health Authority has told Brown’s office that it currently has the resources it needs to work with local health agencies and medical providers, spokesman Charles Boyle said in a statement.

State health officials are in close contact with Brown’s office and a Coronavirus Response Team is also working to coordinate responses across state agencies.

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Brown stands ready to declare a state of emergency if needed.

"My thoughts are with the Oregonians who have contracted this virus, as well as their families,” Brown said in a statement. “The developments of the last 48 hours in Oregon and across the globe are concerning, and we are taking this extremely seriously.”

Brad Schmidt; bschmidt@oregonian.com; 503-294-7628; @_brad_schmidt

Kale Williams, Lizzy Acker, Piper McDaniel, Jeff Manning and Grant Butler contributed to this report.

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