TUCSON – A second Pima County resident was presumptively diagnosed with coronavirus on Friday, March 13. The presumptive diagnosis was made at the Arizona State Public Health Laboratory in Phoenix.
According to the Pima County Health Department (PCHD), a sample will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA., for confirmation.
The Health Department says that at this time there is no clear link between this case and the presumptive case identified in Pima County on March 9.
Health officials are working to identify additional close contacts that may have been exposed while the person was infectious. Any individuals who have been identified as having been exposed will be contacted directly. These individuals will be monitored for fever and respiratory symptoms in collaboration with PCHD and medical providers. This individual had recently traveled to another U.S. state, however, investigators are still working to identify whether or not this person contracted the virus during this travel.
“This new case highlights the importance of hospitals, doctors, public health, and the general public working closely together,” said Dr. Bob England, Director of the Pima County Health Department. “Our disease investigators have been working day and night to protect public health, and are in the process of identifying and reaching out to any people who may have been in contact with the case while infectious.”