Virginia health officials confirm 2 more ‘presumptive positive’ cases of COVID-19

These mark seventh, eighth cases in the Commonwealth of Virginia

A piece of lab equipment (Pexels/stock photo)

ROANOKE, Va. – Two more people have tested “presumptive positive” for COVID-19, the Virginia Beach Health Department announced Tuesday afternoon.

These cases mark the first two coronavirus cases in the Virginia Beach Health District, and the seventh and eighth cases in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

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All reported cases in the state have been travel related -- and there is no evidence of community transmission of COVID-19 in Virginia.

The Health Department is conducting a thorough investigation of potential exposures. The latest two individuals are stable and remain in isolation at this time, Virginia Beach Health Director Dr. Demetria Lindsay said.

The infected people include a man in his 60s and a woman in her 50s. They recently traveled on a Nile River cruise, which recently reported COVID-19 cases. The pair returned to United States on March 5.

On Sunday March 8, the patients were tested at a Virginia Beach hospital. The positive test results returned Tuesday are considered presumptive, pending confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 can cause mild to more severe respiratory illness, health officials said.

Symptoms include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. In a small number of patients, COVID-19 can cause complications, including death, particularly among those who are older or who have chronic medical conditions.

Symptoms typically appear within 14 days of being exposed to an infectious person. COVID-19 spreads primarily through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Do you have any questions? Call the Virginia Department of Health’s public information line, 877-ASK-VDH3, for answers about the novel coronavirus situation.