Gov. Lamont, Surgeon General tour state lab after coronavirus testing clearance

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    ROCKY HILL, CT (WFSB) — As neighboring states confirmed positive coronavirus tests over the weekend, Gov. Ned Lamont and the U.S. Surgeon General were briefed on Monday regarding the state’s efforts to combat the disease.

Lamont and Surgeon General Vice Admiral Jerome Adams toured the state’s lab in Rocky Hill Monday morning.

While the coronavirus has created fear, Adams is urging people not to panic.

“Caution is appropriate. Preparedness is appropriate. Panic is not. Many of you may have seen my tweet from this weekend where I advised folks to stop buying masks. While there are things you can do to protect to yourself, there are things that can harm you and your community, and going out and hoarding masks is one of those things,” Adams said.

On Friday, the state’s public health laboratory in Rocky Hill was given the green light to conduct test for the coronavirus.

“We would be turning test results within 24 hours of a specimen arriving in the laboratory,” said Dr. Jafar Razeq, the Connecticut Department of Public Health Laboratory Director.

Razeq said rapid diagnosis is critical on so many levels. Doctors will be able to treat the virus faster and the patient won’t be out inadvertently exposing it to us.

As of Monday, New York has one case of coronavirus and Rhode Island has two positive tests.

However, the state of Connecticut has no confirmed cases up to this point.

Nationally, 15,000 test kits were released to test for COVID-19, and the Trump administration is working to get 50,000 more.

For a test to be done, a patient must exhibit flu-like symptoms and come in close contact with a coronavirus patient, or have a travel history to China, Iran, Italy, Japan or South Korea.

On Sunday, Adams took to Twitter telling folks to stop buying face masks, saying they’re not effective in preventing the general public from catching coronavirus. He went on to say “but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk.”

Monday, he went on to emphasize the importance for the general public to continue to take precautions, like washing hands, avoiding contact with other people.

We’ll have more on Adams visit and the state’s preparedness efforts on Eyewitness News starting at 4:30 p.m.

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