Indiana coronavirus patient was in North Carolina with symptoms

RALEIGH, Wake County — An Indiana resident has tested positive for the coronavirus after a trip to North Carolina.

A release from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services says the patient had COVID-19 symptoms while in Durham and Wake counties from March 2 to March 6. Officials say the patient tested positive in Indiana on March 8 and is in isolation at home.

“The Indiana State Department of Health notified us last night about the test results and provided us with a report on where this person went while showing symptoms of COVID-19,” says Rod Jenkins, Durham County Public Health Department director. “Right now, we’re following the patient’s path – trying to determine when and where people may have come in close contact with the patient.”

On March 2, officials say the patient started showing upper respiratory symptoms while at work at Biogen’s location at Research Triangle Park. The patient also attended a corporate conference in Boston in February. Five others in Wake County have also tested presumptively positive for the coronavirus after visiting the conference.

Those with both Durham and Wake health departments are working to identify close contacts of the patient. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines close contact as being within approximately six feet on an infected person for at least 10 minutes.