The U.S. Surgeon General says the response to the coronavirus has reached a turning point. Speaking to CNN's State of the Union, Dr. Jerome Adams says we're now in the "mitigation phase." That means more cases along with more deaths. However, Adams cautioned against panicking, saying most people won't be affected too much. As for the number of test kits available, Adams said more than four million tests should be available by the end of the week.
In Massachusetts,The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced five new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed or presumptive positive cases in Massachusetts to 13. The cases include four people from Middlesex County: one woman in her 40s, one woman in her 50s, one man in his 40s and another man in his 60s. The five cases also include one man from Berkshire County in his 60s.
The State Public Health Lab’s result is considered “presumptive positive” and the specimens will now be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation.
Of these five cases, officials say that three had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference last week, one had recent international travel that included northern Italy, and the fifth case is still under investigation.
There are no cases in Springfield although there are at least four school department employees that are under a self-quarantine after they came back from a February trip to Italy.
The risk of COVID-19 to the general public in Massachusetts remains low at this time.
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