Hundreds In MA Self-Quarantined For Possible Coronavirus Exposure

MASSACHUSETTS — More than 200 people in Massachusetts are being monitored for possible exposure to coronavirus and hundreds more have cleared quarantine, state health officials said in a Wednesday briefing.

The Massachusetts Department of Health said 231 people who may have been exposed to virus are being monitored and self-quarantined in their homes.

The DPH also said 377 have already gone through a self-quarantine and have been cleared. None of the people quarantined have shown symptoms.

Officials said the risk remains low to Massachusetts residents, one day after the Centers for Disease Control said to be ready for an outbreak in the U.S.

So far there has been one confirmed case of coronavirus in the state. The UMass-Boston student, who contracted the illness after returning last month from Wuhan, China, has been quarantined at his home.

"We are happy to report the UMass Boston student is doing well and continues to recover. He is self-isolating at his off-campus home," Boston Public Health Commission spokeswoman Caitlin McLaughlin said, according to State House News. "Our focus remains on his recovery and protecting the health and well-being of all Boston residents during this worldwide coronavirus outbreak."

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There have been more than 80,000 cases of coronavirus across the globe, with nearly 3,000 deaths.

There have been 14 confirmed cases in the U.S. and no fatalities. Thirty-nine more people returning from overseas have also had the virus.

On Monday, a Cambridge-based company shipped vials of a coronavirus vaccine, manufactured at a plant in Norwood, to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for further research.

Clarification: Headline updated to specify self-quarantine.