WEST LEBANON — Two people in New Hampshire who developed respiratory symptoms after traveling to Wuhan, China, have tested negative for the coronavirus, according to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Both patients, one who was treated at Littleton Regional Hospital and the other at Concord Hospital, have recovered, according to a news release from DHHS on Thursday.
The state will continue to monitor for potential cases of the novel coronavirus, which causes a pneumonia-like illness that may include a fever and shortness of breath and has so far sickened 7,000 people in 15 countries, the release said.
“We will continue to work with health care providers to monitor for any additional suspect cases that may occur in New Hampshire and test as appropriate based on a person’s symptoms and travel to affected areas in China,” New Hampshire State Epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said in Thursday’s release. “The risk to our communities remains low.”
Five people in the U.S. have tested positive for the virus so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 90 cases are still pending results. On Thursday, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced it had identified the first case of person-to-person transmission of coronavirus in the U.S. The spouse of a woman who became ill after traveling to Wuhan has tested positive for the virus.
DHHS has asked New Hampshire health care providers to alert state officials if they identify patients who become ill with fever or respiratory symptoms within 14 days of traveling to China’s Hubei province — where the city of Wuhan is located — so that state officials can help assess risk, assist with testing and ensure isolation of the ill patients to prevent the potential spread of coronavirus.
Both Dartmouth-Hitchcock and the University of Vermont Health Network said they are following the situation and are ready should someone with the virus come to one of their facilities.
“As the result of extensive work done over the past several years in preparation for other high-threat infections like Ebola and MERS, we’re well prepared to handle a patient or patients who may present with possible exposure to (coronavirus),” D-H spokesman Rick Adams said in an email. “Our High-Threat Infection Team remains on standby, and we are well supplied with personal protective equipment for providers who will care for any patients suspected of carrying the virus.”
There have not yet been any suspected cases in Vermont, according to Ben Truman, spokesman for the Vermont Department of Health.
Even so, health care providers in the the UVM Health Network are asking screening questions regarding recent travel and contacts for patients with fever and respiratory symptoms who seek care in the emergency department, urgent care or ambulatory clinics, said Annie Mackin, a spokeswoman for the network.
“If needed, our infectious diseases team will be brought in to assess a patient and ensure appropriate testing is completed,” Mackin said in a Tuesday email.
Dartmouth College officials, in an announcement on its website earlier this week, recommended avoiding all travel to Hubei province in accordance with current U.S. Department of State guidance. In addition, the college urged community members to avoid “non-essential” travel to other parts of China right now and it has added China to its list of countries for which a travel waiver is required.
“If travel cannot be postponed, the college strongly recommends that faculty and staff register their travel plans in the Dartmouth Travel Registry,” the announcement said. “All students are required to register their college-related travel plans with Dartmouth.”
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu welcomed the news of the negative results in a statement on Thursday, but said the state will remain on the alert for potential cases and is “well prepared for any future potential incidents.”
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
