- The Washington Times - Thursday, March 5, 2020

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced Thursday night that the state has its first two positive coronavirus cases.

The first patient is a male in his 30s from out of state who flew Feb. 29 to Denver International Airport and took a rental car to Summit County, a popular skiing destination. He developed symptoms Tuesday and received a “presumptive positive” diagnosis on Thursday.

Mr. Polis had no details on the second case, which he said he learned of moments before his press conference with state health officials, but that it was unrelated to the first case.

All coronavirus diagnoses conducted by states are “presumptive positive” until verified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said.

The first patient has been transported to Jefferson County and is recovering in isolation. His fiancée and two friends with whom he shared a condo in Summit County have received quarantine orders.

The man had traveled in mid-February to Italy, which is experiencing a coronavirus outbreak, but was asymptomatic during his flight to Denver from another state, meaning he carried a low risk of transmission.

“There’s no reason at this time to believe other travelers were exposed as per CDC guidance,” Mr. Polis said.

Colorado currently has the capacity to conduct 160 coronavirus tests per day, and plans to expand soon to 200-300 tests per day.

• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.

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