OMAHA, Neb.-Health officials in Nebraska say the first case of the COVID-19 coronavirus has been confirmed in the state.
Health officials say the patient is a 36-year-old woman who traveled to the United Kingdom on February 18 and returned to her home in Omaha on February 27. It is believed that she contracted the virus during this trip.
According to officials, the woman was showing symptoms on February 24 and that she experienced mild symptoms until Thursday when she was brought Methodist Hospital with low blood oxygen levels and a pneumonia-like infection. Further testing revealed that she was positive for COVID-19.
The patient is currently being transferred to the biocontainment unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Officials encouraged residents to continue practicing safe hand-washing procedures and to prepare for the possibility that schools and businesses may be forced to close.
Health officials are currently tracking where the woman has been in Nebraska.