Administrator tests positive in Tulane community’s first coronavirus case

Josh Axelrod, Senior Staff Reporter

A member of the Tulane administration has tested positive for coronavirus, marking the Tulane community’s first confirmed case of the virus, President Mike Fitts said in an email Friday.

The administrator is expected to make a full recovery and is currently self-isolating at home. The case is presumptive until it is confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The administration declined to identify the affected individual in order to protect their privacy.

To prevent the virus from spreading further, Tulane is reaching out to anyone who was in close contact with the administrator as well as testing a group of Tulane-affiliated people.

There will likely be more cases of coronavirus in the Tulane community; however, the university will not send campus-wide updates for each new case, Fitts said.

As of Friday afternoon, there are 479 reported cases of coronavirus in Louisiana and 10 deaths. Orleans Parish represents a majority of that total with nearly 300 cases and 8 deaths.

“This case is a timely reminder that this virus can strike anyone at any time,” Fitts wrote. “It is also a call for all of us to continue to remain extra vigilant in practicing extreme social distancing and other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

A sophomore who had travelled to New York and Texas during the semester was displaying possible coronavirus symptoms last week and was quarantined in Aron Residences for several days. Her test results eventually came back negative for COVID-19, and she was released from quarantine.

Have questions about coronavirus? We have answers. Click here to learn more about how the virus is affecting Tulane.

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