New York Coronavirus Patient Had Traveled To Miami In February

MIAMI, FL — A New York attorney who tested positive for the new coronavirus traveled to Miami in early February — days or weeks before he became ill.

"We have a case in Westchester, a 50-year-old gentleman who did not travel to any of the places that are on the quote-unquote watchlist — did travel to Miami," New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo told reporters Tuesday.

News of the New York patient's visit to Miami came as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had already declared a health emergency in the state amid the first two confirmed cases of the illness a day earlier. Related: New Coronavirus: Florida Under Health Emergency, Coronavirus Outbreak: Tips To Prepare At Home

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said the attorney works at a small law firm in midtown Manhattan and had experienced respiratory issues "off and on for the last month" that became more severe in recent days. The attorney is hospitalized at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in serious condition after being moved from a hospital in Westchester County, New York.

"He is the first patient who required hospitalization in New York City since the coronavirus issue began," de Blasio said. "He is the first patient to be seriously ill, and obviously we’re very concerned because what appears to be previous respiratory condition which creates more danger."

The attorney is the second confirmed New York case of the illness. The first was a 39-year-old health care worker who is recovering in her home with mild symptoms. New York was also testing two families in Buffalo who traveled to an area in Italy where an outbreak of the illness had been reported.

Florida Department of Health laboratories in Tampa, Miami and Jacksonville now have the capability to perform testing for COVID-19, which allows test results to be available between 24 to 48 hours.

Florida Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees said both Florida patients were in stable condition. Health officials do not know where the male Florida patient was exposed to the virus.

DeSantis told reporters Tuesday that the sister of the Hillsborough woman who is from California also tested as a presumptive positive for the illness. It was likely the woman's sister would not be counted in Florida's total since she is from California.

Demetre Daskalakis, deputy commissioner for disease control with the New York Department of Health, said the attorney first became ill on Feb. 22. "He then ultimately was admitted on the 27th and then was transferred from the hospital in Westchester to Columbia yesterday," Daskalakis said Tuesday.

Florida health officials did not immediately respond to questions concerning the attorney's contacts in Florida. Updates regarding the new coronavirus are posted on the Florida Health website.

The SAR Academy in Riverdale, New York, shut down Tuesday amid concerns that one of the attorney's sons attends the school. The attorney's family is isolated in their home in Westchester County.

"That young man has no symptoms at that point," de Blasio said of the SAR Academy student. "The second student goes to a university in New York City and does have symptoms, and we will have more to say, obviously, on that front when the tests come back."

COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when someone coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract the virus by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

As of Tuesday, there had been a total of 92,860 confirmed cases of the illness and 3,162 deaths around the world, with the vast majority in Hubei, China, according to information compiled by Johns Hopkins University. A total of 48,252 people have recovered from the illness.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days following exposure. Most people recover from COVID-19 without special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical problems such as high blood pressure, heart problems, obesity and diabetes are more likely to develop serious illness, the health department said.

DeSantis said health officials are paying particular attention to the state's nursing homes and assisted-living communities.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez agreed the elderly will be a focus of the county's efforts to protect against the new coronavirus.

"We want to safeguard the health of our elderly and those with compromised immune systems," Gimenez said. "When the Zika virus was a threat, we focused on protecting pregnant women, since they were the most vulnerable members of our population. For COVID-19, the focus at this time is senior citizens."

Public Health Guidance On Virus Prevention:

• Do not go to an emergency room unless absolutely essential. Those with symptoms including a cough, fever, or other respiratory issues are advised to contact their regular doctor first.
• If you are sick, stay home.
• Commit to excellent personal hygiene, including regular hand-washing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Monitor the latest information on COVID-19 in Florida and across the United States:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Florida Department of Health

What is the new coronavirus?

The symptoms of the new coronavirus are similar to seasonal influenza, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Both are infectious respiratory illnesses, but they're caused by different viruses.

Both cause fever, cough, body aches and fatigue, and both can result in pneumonia. Both illnesses can sometimes cause vomiting and diarrhea and can be spread from person to person by sneezing, coughing or talking.

Common good-health practices such as frequent hand-washing, covering coughs and staying home from work or school if sick, can help control both illnesses.

Neither respond to antibiotic treatment, but both may be treated by addressing symptoms, such as reducing fever.

There are some distinct differences between COVID-19 and the Flu: Flu is caused by several types of viruses, while COVID-19 is caused by the new coronavirus, which is also called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2.

Johns Hopkins says there is some evidence COVID-19 could be airborne "meaning that tiny droplets remaining in the air could cause disease in others even after the ill person is no longer near."

There is no vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus as there is against influenza. Scientists around the world are racing to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus, although none currently exists.

A company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has shipped vials of its novel coronavirus vaccine to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for further research.

Patch Editor Deb Belt and Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.