By 
In a press conference over the weekend, Gov. Mike Parson, St. Louis county executive Sam Page, and medical professionals announced the first case in Missouri to test presumptive positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
The specimen, conducted by the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory, has been forwarded to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory.
The St. Louis County woman, in her 20s, traveled to St. Louis from Italy where she was studying abroad. She took Amtrak home from Chicago, and is in isolation at home with her family after receiving treatment. News broke over the weekend that the woman’s father and sister apparently broke their quarantine and attended a Villa Duchesne father/daughter dance at The Ritz-Carlton in Clayton. St. Louis County officials have informed the family that additional failure for them to self-quarantine will result in a court order that would require them to stay home. Local health department officials are identifying close contacts to monitor symptoms and contain a spread.
“I am confident in the work of the Department of Health and Senior Services and the St. Louis County Public Health Department and know that they will do what they can to protect the health and safety of Missouri communities,” Parson said.
“St. Louis County is prepared for this challenge. We are responding quickly, professionally, and effectively to these test results,” Page said.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has tested a total of 26 individuals for COVID-19, including the presumptive positive case. Three additional tests remain in progress.
Comments