Rhode Island Announces State's Third Case Of Coronavirus

A woman in her 60s who works at a nursery school is Rhode Island's third case of the coronavirus, state public health officials said.

The woman has mild symptoms and is recovering at home, the state Department of Health announced Friday.

The woman, whose name was not made public, was tested because she was symptomatic and had direct, face-to-face contact in late February with a person in New York who has the disease, authorities said.

The state is in the process of identifying people who had contact with the woman, including children and adults associated with the Smithfield Avenue Nursery School in Pawtucket, the department said. They will be asked to self-quarantine.

The department noted that the coronavirus does not affect children as severely as adults.

The latest case is considered presumptive until it is confirmed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The two other cases in Rhode Island have been confirmed.

They are a man in his 40s and a teenage girl who both went on a school trip to Italy in mid-February organized by Saint Raphael Academy in Pawtucket.

A third person who went on the trip, but who lives in Massachusetts, has also tested positive.

The Roman Catholic school has announced that it will stay closed until March 16 and assign students online coursework.

As of Friday, 17 other people in Rhode Island had tested negative for the disease, while test results were pending for 13. The Department of Health said about 210 people in the state have been instructed to self-quarantine.