Ahead of a state-wide press conference Tuesday afternoon, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s office shared a release on Tuesday announcing a North Carolina resident has tested positive for the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19.

According to the release, a Wake County resident traveled to the state of Washington and got exposed at a long-term care facility experiencing an outbreak of COVID-19. While the test conducted on the resident is presumptively positive, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lab will check to confirm the case.

“I know that people are worried about this virus, and I want to assure North Carolinians our state is prepared,” said Governor Roy Cooper in the release. “Our task force and state agencies are working closely with local health departments, health care providers and others to quickly identify and respond to cases that might occur.”

The release stressed to North Carolinians this is an isolated case. Local health department officials are identifying close contacts of the resident in question to monitor symptoms and contain spread. To protect individual privacy, no further information will be released. The release said the person is doing well and is in isolation at home.

Cooper established the Novel Coronavirus Task Force in the state last month to support North Carolina’s effort to monitor, prepare for and respond to the illness. Some of the actions associated with the task force involve pursuing containment strategies through identification and testing, mobilizing resources for health providers, developing response plans for a wide range of scenarios and many more.

Health experts have said COVID-19 is most commonly spread through respiratory droplets, meaning people should take similar measures recommended to prevent the spread of the flu. Washing your hands often with warm water and soap, avoiding touching your face, and thoroughly covering coughs and sneezes.

For more information on the virus, visit the CDC’s website dedicated to the outbreak as well as the NCDHHS’ website, which will also include future positive COVID-19 test results in North Carolina.

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