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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds presser following state's first confirmed coronavirus case

Posted at 9:42 AM, Mar 02, 2020
and last updated 2020-03-02 10:25:59-05

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will hold a press conference regarding a confirmed case of COVID-19, better known as coronavirus, in New York on Monday morning.

Cuomo's press conference comes a day after a woman in her 30s was confirmed to be the first case of the virus in the state.

The woman had recently traveled to Iran, where the disease is prevalent. Officials say she's "not in serious condition" and is currently self-quarantining at home.

According to Cuomo, the woman was a health care worker, as was her husband. Cuomo said that officials expect the woman's husband to also test positive for the virus.

Cuomo said the patient flew back to New York on Tuesday. Officials believe she was not contagious at the time of the flight, but say they will be contacting the other people who were on the flight out of an abundance of caution.

Cuomo said he would like officials to increase coronavirus testing throughout the week and will appropriate more funding to fight the disease. Cuomo set a goal of 1,000 tests per day.

Cuomo also added that his goal is not to eliminate spread, saying that would be impossible. Instead, Cuomo said he hopes to limit the spread fo the virus.

Both Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio stressed that the general risk of the virus remains low in the state on Sunday.

"From the beginning, we have said it was a matter of when, not if, there would be a positive case of coronavirus in New York," de Blaiso tweeted Sunday. "We will continue to ensure New Yorkers have the facts and resources they need to protect themselves."

More than 88,000 worldwide have been infected, and the death toll worldwide has reached at least 3,000.