UPDATE: Coronavirus patient in Northampton County is being treated in Bethlehem Township, hospital says

The Lehigh Valley has its first case of the new coronavirus.

A positive test for the virus that causes COVID-19 was returned in Northampton County, according to updated figures posted by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday morning.

The Northampton County case is among five new positive tests since Wednesday and brings Pennsylvania’s total to 21. The federal Centers for Disease Control has yet to confirm most cases. All new cases are adults and in isolation either in the hospital or at home, according to the state health department.

Anyone who came in contact with the sick person from Northampton County has been asked to quarantine for 14 days, according to Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure.

“Anyone who has come in contact with the presumptively positive person has been rapidly tested,” McClure added.

He declined to name the person who tested presumptively positive. Nor would he offer information about that person such as the township, city or borough in which that person lives. He said he’s following guidelines set forth by the state Department of Health.

“The fear is that sick people won’t present to health care providers and it will just get worse and worse. That’s our point of view," McClure said.

Also, individual health information is confidential under federal law, McClure said.

McClure said the state health department will contact schools and other institutions attended by the presumptively positive person or people who came in contact with that person. The state will offer guidelines to these institutions about the need for deep cleaning or other measures to take, McClure said.

Pennsylvania’s testing has revealed the global pandemic so far in seven eastern counties. Montgomery County has the most with 13 cases. Bucks and Monroe counties, both adjacent to the Lehigh Valley, each have two.

The health department says that of 196 people tested, 100 tests have come back negative and 75 are still pending.

The department’s daily briefing on the coronavirus is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday but officials have not provided many details on individual cases citing patient confidentiality.

Schools have closed and events been canceled as the virus spreads. The Easton Arts Academy announced Wednesday that one of its students was being tested for the coronavirus after returning from a trip to New York City. Testing was also being done for an employee in the Allentown School District and a student in Whitehall-Coplay.

These are the main symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus causing a pandemic.CDC

Residents are urged to limit their potential for exposure – wash hands, cover your coughs and sneezes. If you feel unwell, stay home from school or work and wear a mask to limit the spread of any disease.

McClure reminded local residents to limit interactions with vulnerable populations: the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions such as heart disease or diabetes and people with compromised immune systems.

“I think that the important thing here is that we all stay calm,” McClure said.

For more information on the coronavirus, consult your state health department at health.pa.gov or www.nj.gov/health and the CDC website.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. If there’s anything about this story that needs attention, please email him. Follow him on Twitter @SteveNovakLVL and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.