ST. LOUIS - A 20-year-old female college student, who recently returned from studying in Italy, has been the first St. Louis area resident who has tested positively for Coronavirus (COVID-19) and is currently in quarantine with her parents in their home in St. Louis County.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
It has been reported that the woman suffered from fever and respiratory difficulties before going to Mercy hospital in Creve Couer, in west St. Louis County this past Wednesday. She was evaluated and tested before going back to her parents' home, as hospital officials felt she was not sick enough to warrant being admitted.
The woman flew into O'Hare International Airport in northwest suburban Chicago on Wednesday, then took the Amtrak Lincoln Service train home to St. Louis. Amtrak officials said on Sunday that the train has been temporarily taken out of service for thorough cleaning and disinfection, and will be contacting passengers on the train who may have been aboard with the woman. In addition, both Union Station in Chicago and the Gateway Transportation Center, the Amtrak station in St. Louis, will also be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected as a precaution.
In a news conference held by local health officials, along with St. Louis County Executive Sam Page and Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, efforts are underway to identify those she may have been in contact with since returning from Italy. The woman, who attends an out-of-state school, nor her family or the area of St. Louis County where they live, was not identified.
Parson said during the news conference that the woman's test result is "presumptive positive," and still needs to be confirmed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, which Page said will be "highly likely."
Both Parson and Page assured that both the state and county will continue to work with local, state and federal health officials to ensure the safety and health of the public.
In statistics compiled by the World Health Organization, since the COVID-19 virus was first traced back to Wuhan, China on New Year's Eve of 2019, more than 106,000 people have been diagnosed for the disease in 103 countries and territories around the world, resulting to date in 3, 639 deaths. In the United States, a total of 213 cases have been reported, with 11 reported deaths. Reported cases have spiked since mid-February. By comparison, there are 57 reported cases in Canada, with no deaths, and only seven cases in Mexico. A total of 19 states are currently reporting cases, including six confirmed in Illinois, mostly in the Chicago area.
