A 49-year-old Princeton woman has become Princeton’s first presumptive positive case of COVID-19, the Princeton Health Department announced on March 13.
The woman’s test results are waiting for confirmation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She is one of 14 Princeton residents who were exposed to coronavirus, or COVID-19, at a Feb. 29 party in Princeton, according to Princeton Health Officer Jeffrey Grosser.
Two Massachusetts residents, who were among the 47 guests at the party, tested presumptively positive for COVID-19 upon their return to Massachusetts. They had attended the Biogen conference in Boston, which has been linked to COVID-19 transmission.
The Princeton woman began experiencing mild illness on March 3, Grosser said.
The woman attended two events after her symptoms began – a dance festival on Staten Island on March 3, and a meeting at the Princeton Medical Center on March 9. She has been isolated since the evening of March 9.
Princeton Health Department officials have contacted the event coordinators for the dance festival and the Princeton Medical Center meeting for help in identifying attendees at both events for possible exposure to COVID-19, Grosser said.
Of the 14 Princeton residents who attended the Feb. 29 party, nine residents – including the 49-year-old woman – had complained of COVID-19 symptoms. All 14 residents have been advised to self-quarantine and are being monitored for the signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
Grosser said that with a presumed positive result for COVID-19, the Princeton Health Department can impose stricter limits to the close contacts of the 49-year-old woman. Close contacts include friends, family or health care professionals.