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New COVID-19 case likely flew in to Rochester while contagious, county says

Transportation Security Administration

 

Credit Transportation Security Administration
/
Transportation Security Administration

The Monroe County health department said it learned Wednesday night of a person who tested positive for COVID-19 and arrived in Rochester on a Delta Airlines flight over the weekend.

“We believe this individual was contagious while en route” from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Greater Rochester International Airport, the health department said in an emailed news release.

The person flew on Delta Flight 4824 on Saturday, March 14, the health department said. That flight left New York at 4:05 p.m. and arrived in Rochester at 5:55 p.m.

The county said anyone who was on that flight, and anyone who was in the Rochester airport between 5:45 and 6:45 p.m. that day, “should monitor for symptoms of fever, cough, and shortness of breath.”

The county has advised people who develop symptoms to call their doctor or the county health department for consultation.

The passenger “has been under isolation since arrival,” the county said, while close household contacts have been under self-quarantine.

The health department confirmed three new COVID-19 cases Wednesday evening, bringing the local total of known cases to 22. The county said it was continuing to contact people at high risk of exposure.

Copyright 2020 WXXI News

Brett is the health reporter and a producer at WXXI News. He has a master’s degree from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism and before landing at WXXI, he was an intern at WNYC and with Ian Urbina of the New York Times. He also produced freelance reporting work focused on health and science in New York City. Brett grew up in Bremerton, Washington, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.
Brett Dahlberg