Westport, Connecticut, health officials got a call from the state late Thursday to confirm the town’s first case of COVID-19. On Monday, the town announced at least 20 people tested positive and officials expect dozens more test results from Quest Labs in California. Residents have been asked to operate on the assumption the new coronavirus is spreading widely in Westport.
It all began at a private gathering on March 5. About 40 Westport residents held a farewell party for a house guest set to return to his home country. The man felt fine at the party, but that changed after he flew home. By last Wednesday, less than a week after the party, Westport officials announced the man tested positive for coronavirus. Dozens of partygoers now report symptoms.
“This kinda hit the fan on Wednesday about noon, and we’re all coping, we’re all catching up to speed. You know, today is better than yesterday and the other day was even worse than that, so.”
That’s Mark Cooper, director of the Westport Weston Health District. He says the virus spread is already too big to track.
“We’re finding there’s people that, with a simple conversation two or three feet apart from each other, can get COVID-19 virus from people who are totally non-symptomatic. They look healthy, they feel fine and now a day or so later, they have symptoms. But you’ve also now been contaminated.”
Cooper says at least one Westport resident tested positive so far.
“I don’t know if its related to the party or not. We’re trying to move away from the party situation. The fact is that it’s our first known COVID-19 case doesn’t surprise me that it’s at least one confirmed. We expect many more in the days ahead.”
Westport awaits results from its first 40 Coronavirus test kits sent to Quest Labs on Thursday.
“We went through them within an hour and a half. And we’re setting priorities. Everybody cannot be tested at once. Again we’re getting a limited number of test kits.”
The state is saving its tests for people in the hospital, so Cooper expects more kits from private labs to come this week. Residents will drive up for testing to limit exposure – and help health workers conserve protective equipment.
“People stay in their car, they fill out all the paperwork, do all that stuff before they get to us, and then they never get out of the car. We do the swab, paperwork is exchanged and then they go on.”
Only Westport residents on the health department’s list will get tested. More than 20 signed up on Friday.
“We are prioritizing the testing to those who have a known exposure to the COVID-19 virus, and there’s a lot of people who have been exposed, and there are lots of people with flu-like symptoms.”
Town health workers are doing their best.
“Everybody’s a little overwhelmed at the moment. There really hasn’t been enough personal protective equipment, there hasn’t been enough test kits, all those things.”
Westport closed its schools, libraries and city buildings to limit the spread of the virus. Cooper says it’s to keep the disease from overwhelming hospitals, so young people, especially, need to take this seriously.
“We’re hearing on social blogs that you know schools have been cancelled for a while, the weather is beautiful outside, it’s almost like a holiday or an unplanned vacation. And that’s not what this is all about," Cooper says, "Schools and businesses have been closed to facilitate social voluntary isolation, which means that people don’t get together in close proximity where these germs are getting spread.”
Cooper wants people to really change their behavior – even rethink that coffee run or happy hour.
“Social isolation means you stay at home. Or, if you’re going to go out and have contact with people, you limit it to essential stuff, " Cooper stresses, " you want to keep five or six feet between people.”
He even advises against sharing snacks.
“You want to make sure you’re not reaching into the same bowl of peanuts and sharing it with a room full of people having a lot of fun," he says, "Those people who don’t wash their hands, touch their face, get together in close proximity and have a good time, hug and kiss sort of stuff, are going to get exposed. And those are going to be the ones that first get COVID-19 and spread it to others.”
Cooper asks the public to stay home and be part of the solution – not become carriers who spread the virus to people most at risk.