Residents are on high alert as officials wait for the results of a patient tested for coronavirus in New York City. 

City health officials say the patient is undergoing tests after matching criteria for the coronavirus and that the person had recently traveled to mainland China.

They say that patient in New York City is under 40 years old and is being treated in an isolation room that was prepared specifically for a response to coronavirus. Results will not come back for at least 36 to 48 hours after the tests began.

 

Officials say the person showed symptoms including fever, cough and shortness of breath. The patient was initially tested for influenza and other cold viruses, but officials say those tests came back negative.

This illness is a new strain of coronavirus that has never been seen in humans. Some cases have turned severe and caused death, but others have only caused mild symptoms in the infected person.

Many residents in the city say they are concerned due to the fact they live near John F. Kennedy International Airport, one of the largest airports in the nation. Many also have been wearing face masks as they travel within the city as a precaution.

As of now, there have been eight confirmed cases in the United States, while there have been more than 14,000 worldwide. About 300 people have died.

This patient is the first possible reported case in the state.