New Hampshire coronavirus patient broke quarantine to attend event in Vermont

A coronavirus patient disregarded directions to remain quarantined and attended an event in Vermont on Feb. 28, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday.

State epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan said the unidentified man, who had recently traveled to Italy, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, attended an event at Dartmouth’s business school and that a second man is believed to have contracted the virus from him, although it remains unclear if it was transmitted at the event, according to Time.

“Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center [DHMC] has announced that the first person identified as a positive case is an employee. DHMC has identified staff who may have been exposed through close contact with the patient and will monitor those individuals’ self-monitoring or self-isolating,” the department added. “At this time, DHMC is not aware of exposure to any patients in clinical areas.”

Although there are no current cases who have tested positive for the virus in Vermont, health officials advised all attendees of the Feb. 28 event to self-quarantine for 14 days.

“People in this situation — with only minimal possible contact with a case — are still considered to be at low risk for infection, but out of an abundance of caution the department is seeking contact from anyone in attendance,” Vermont Commissioner Mark Levine said in a statement.