Fall River Reports First Confirmed Coronavirus Case

Fall River has reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19.

The person is now in isolation, and those exposed to the infected person are under quarantine, the Fall River Herald News reports.

Mayor Paul Coogan said Fall River Director of Health and Human Services Tess Curran notified him Saturday that a city resident had tested positive for COVID-19. Coogan told the newspaper that he expects more positive COVID-19 cases will be identified in the city as capacity for testing ramps up.

Also Saturday New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in that city. Mitchell said the male patient is quarantined at home and that the mode of infection was through community transmission, but declined to reveal other details citing medical privacy concerns.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Saturday released updated numbers of confirmed cases in the state. The tally showed the number of cases in Bristol County increased from 6 to 14 overnight, and that 525 COVID-19 cases had been confirmed statewide. The DPH updates its reports every day at 4 p.m.