Princeton health officer still awaiting test results for residents possibly exposed to the coronavirus at a party

Health officials in Princeton have not received COVID-19 test results for seven residents who attended a local private party Feb. 29 who were possibly exposed to the coronavirus.

Fourteen Princeton residents attended the party. Health officer Jeffrey Grosser says all fourteen residents have been contacted. Nine complained of one or more symptoms. Two people no longer have symptoms. Seven residents were directed to obtain testing (not all nine who had symptoms, as was reported yesterday). All fourteen have been advised to self-quarantine, and Grosser said all of the residents are being followed for the development of signs and symptoms.

“We are assessing and monitoring for signs and symptoms of illness of any close contacts of the self quarantined individuals,” Grosser wrote in an update Thursday afternoon. “Close contacts include any friends, family members or health care professionals. Close contacts have been asked to voluntarily quarantine.”

Grosser said as more cases are observed throughout New Jersey, health officials are urging people with underlying health conditions, pregnant women and the elderly to practice social distancing by avoiding non-essential travel, public events, community gatherings, and indoor venues.

Three residents of Pennsylvania who attended the private party in Princeton have tested presumed positive for the coronavirus, and two people from the Boston area who had attended the Biogen conference in Boston have tested positive. The Princeton Health Department was alerted to the positive test results from Pennsylvania on Wednesday,
The results are considered “presumptive” until confirmed by the CDC.

A Princeton University undergraduate who was exhibiting flu-like symptoms was tested for the coronavirus on March 11 at the McCosh Health Center and was immediately placed in isolation out of an abundance of caution, according to school officials. The student will remain in isolation at McCosh until the results are received in the coming days.

The University announced March 10 that two staff members were possibly exposed to coronavirus at the off-campus party Feb. 29 in Princeton. The two staff members have been tested and continue to self-quarantine while awaiting test results. Local officials expected the results yesterday, but have not received results from the state public health laboratory, or samples sent to commercial labs as of 5 p.m. Thursday, Grosser said he has asked the New Jersey Department of Health for the results, but has not received them yet,

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Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.

8 Comments

  1. I don’t understand why the other towns whose residents were at this function have closed their schools, but PPS remains open. Does anyone know what the rationale is?

    1. One of the residents of South Brunswick who was at the party is a high school student in South Brunswick. In Princeton, the health officials were recommending self-quarantine for first-degree contacts only (people who were actually at the party) until today. Today they also reported that they have suggested that people with close to those people (children, spouses) also self-quarantine.

  2. I have a question about the two people who suffered symptoms and then the symptoms went away. Couldn’t they still be positive and just have suffered a mild version of the coronavirus? Unless I am missing something, it seems crazy not to test them.

      1. Princeton Health Department does not have answers either? Then who is in charge of this development?

  3. Is there follow-up on the non-Princeton residents who attended? Presumably, many of them live locally and were exposed as well.

  4. It is SHOCKING that these results have not come in yet and that our community is still left wondering what’s going on.

  5. The school district should really be more transparent about their reasoning for NOT closing our schools. School districts surrounding us are closing down in the absence of confirmed cases. A well reasoned explanation could go a long way to allaying fears.

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