Two people in Livingston County remain in quarantine over coronavirus concerns as a third person has tested negative for the virus and is no longer under quarantine.
The two people still in isolation have no symptoms, county public health director Jennifer Rodriguez said, but they recently returned from travel in Italy, where COVID-19 is widespread.
Their quarantine is precautionary, said Rodriguez.
These are the first coronavirus-related quarantines in Livingston County.
The person who tested negative thought that his symptoms were consistent with COVID-19 and called the county health department on his way to Noyes Memorial Hospital’s emergency room.
Rodriguez called that call “very fortunate.” She said people with respiratory symptoms should call ahead so clinical staff can put on protective gear and isolate the patient from other people.
When the patient, who arrived at the emergency room with fever and shortness of breath, tested negative for other respiratory illnesses, Noyes consulted with the county health department, which approved a coronavirus test, Rodriguez said.
The sample for that test went by courier to the Erie County Public Health lab, which began testing suspected coronavirus samples Monday.
Spokesperson Kara Kane said Erie County health officials were “hoping that our supply of test materials will keep up with demand,” as COVID-19 tests have been in short supply across New York state.
A sample from Monroe County that went to the state’s Wadsworth lab in Albany last week, before the Erie County testing facility opened, took more than 48 hours to return a result.
This time, Livingston County got a result in about 12 hours.
