Second Utahn has coronavirus, another 200 monitored after travels, health officials say by Ashley Imlay

Second Utahn has coronavirus, another 200 monitored after travels, health officials say –This undated file image released by the British Health Protection Agency shows an electron microscope image of a coronavirus, part of a family of viruses that cause ailments including the common cold and SARS. | Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY — A second Utahn has tested positive for COVID-19, according to health officials.

And the health department is monitoring about 200 people who recently returned from from trips to China, Iran or cruises for signs of the illness.

The woman with the illness is over 60 and lives in the Weber-Morgan Health District, Angela Dunn, state epidemiologist with the Utah Department of Health, reported in a news conference Tuesday morning. The woman is hospitalized at Intermountain McKay Dee Hospital in serious condition.

“We just found out last night, and so we’re still doing the contact tracing,” Dunn said.

Three at-risk people who came into contact with the woman have been tested, and more could be identified, she said.

Those over 60, especially those with underlying medical conditions, “should really take this seriously, and should be extra cautious,” Dunn said.

They should prepare for a potential 14-day quarantine at home, she said, and ensure they have enough food and things to do.

The woman originally had respiratory symptoms, then developed more severe symptoms, Dunn said.

She fell ill shortly after she returned to Utah from travel to Florida, the Bahamas and Nevada, Dunn said. The woman was not on a cruise ship, but was on a boat that went to the Bahamas.

She was tested for the illness after doctors ruled out other diseases, according the epidemiologist.

The state has the capacity to test 50 specimens a day belonging to 25 patients, but health officials expect to increase that capacity after purchasing new equipment.

This story will be updated.

This information appeared first at https://www.deseret.com/utah/2020/3/10/21173117/coronavirus-utah-covid-19-outbreak-virus-department-of-health-cases