New York City Eyes First Suspected Case of Coronavirus, Officials Say

Local authorities are unable to test for the virus, so they are sending a sample to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. Based on the patient’s symptoms and travel history from China, they are taking it seriously. This is the first time that city officials have sent a sample to the CDC for testing.

Another reason health authorities suspect it is the novel coronavirus: They have tested it for influenza and other common illnesses, and those tests came back negative, health officials said.

Health authorities said the individual is under 40 and is in stable condition. They said they do not expect to receive results from the CDC for 36 to 48 hours, possibly longer.

The virus is believed to have originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan and has been confirmed in nearly 20 other countries. There are now eight confirmed cases in the United States and more than 12,000 worldwide. More than 250 people have died.

Chinese authorities have tried to lock down Wuhan as well as a number of surrounding cities. But millions of people had already left Wuhan between the time the virus began appearing late last year and the imposition of a travel ban.

In the past week, health officials across New York state have sent samples — taken by means of an oral swab, nasal swab and by asking a patient to spit — from at least 10 people to the CDC in Atlanta to be tested for the coronavirus. Local laboratories do not have that capability for now.

Public health officials have been urging anyone with flulike or respiratory symptoms who have traveled to Wuhan recently — or been in contact with someone who has — to seek medical care immediately.

Officials have also said that patients found to have the new coronavirus may be sent home to ride out the illness if the symptoms seem relatively mild. Patients more severely affected would be hospitalized.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times .