Botetourt woman in her 80s is Southwest Virginia’s first coronavirus case

Patient is a woman in her 80s who lives in Botetourt County

ROANOKE, Va. – Carilion Clinic announced on Thursday that one of its patients at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital has tested positive for COVID-19.

The patient is a woman in her 80s, who is currently in serious condition. She lives in Botetourt County, which is in the Alleghany Health District, which includes Roanoke, Craig, Botetourt and Alleghany counties, as well as the cities of Salem and Covington.

In a statement, Botetourt County Chief of Fire and EMS Jason Ferguson said, “We have been and continue to prepare for and respond to the evolving public health emergency. We continue to urge everyone to maintain vigilance and follow the guidance being issued by the CDC and VDH." Click here to read the full statement.

This case is the 99th case across Virginia, the 22nd new case announced on Thursday.

[Where are Virginia’s coronavirus cases? The health department’s interactive map]

The patient was admitted to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital on Monday, March 16, exhibiting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and was tested, according to Carilion.

That patient was placed in a COVID-19 isolation unit and the results were received from a commercial testing lab on March 19 and immediately shared with the Virginia Department of Health.

VDH is conducting an investigation to identify possible contacts the woman had, in order to assess their risk of exposure and provide appropriate medical intervention as needed.

As of March 19, Carilion Clinic had tested 172 patients for COVID-19, with 69 negative results and one positive. Carilion is awaiting results for remaining 102.