PROVIDENCE – State officials are closely monitoring a group of 38 people who traveled to Italy on a school-sponsored trip last month, Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott, Rhode Island’s health director, said Monday.
Two trip participants, a man in his 40s and a teenage girl, have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and a third person, a woman in her 30s, is being tested.
The man remains hospitalized in stable condition, and the girl and woman are at home with mild symptoms, officials say.
Test results for the woman in her 30s are expected later on Monday.
All three were on a trip organized by Saint Raphael Academy to Italy. The group, which was mostly students accompanied by chaperones, traveled from Feb. 14 to 22.
“People who have been in direct contact with one of these three people are being identified, communicated with and instructed to remain at home for 14 days and to self-monitor for symptoms,” Alexander-Scott said. “We have a robust team of public health nurses that is checking in with people regularly if they are doing self-monitoring and providing support as they need it.”
During a call with reporters on Monday, health officials wouldn’t specify how long the teenage girl was at school after returning from the trip.
“We are continuing to investigate that information so that we can fully understand the story and the best way to respond from a public health perspective,” Alexander-Scott said.
While officials have said that the woman who is being tested works at Achievement First Academy in Providence, Alexander-Scott did not release details on the workplaces of the other chaperones, but said they are “doing well.”
Saint Raphael Academy is closed this week, and Achievement First Academy is closed today and Tuesday for cleaning.
Several hundred coronavirus testing kits are available in Rhode Island, health officials said.
Testing is being done at the Rhode Island Department of Health state laboratory in Providence. The lab will be the only one in the state able to do the testing, Alexander-Scott said.
Right now, results are passed on to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although state health leaders say tests here are reliable.
“Because this is a DNA test, we have a very high level of confidence that when we have a positive identification on the test here in Rhode Island, it is indeed positive,” Alexander-Scott said.
She urged prevention, giving the same advice that the DOH typically dispenses during influenza season each year.
Washing hands, keeping hands away from your face, getting enough sleep and frequently cleaning surfaces in high-traffic areas can be the most effective defense against coronavirus and other respiratory infections such as the flu, according to health experts.
Alexander-Scott urged people who are sick to stay home and away from other people, but acknowledged that by testing every person who shows symptoms similar to coronavirus, some cases of the illness may go unreported.
“That’s an understood possibility,” she said, pointing out that at the height of flu season, tests are not done in every case.
Read the CDC’s guidance for employers regarding the coronavirus here.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN staff writer. You may reach her at Graham@PBN.com.
