UT-Austin's 1st COVID-19 case: The wife of school's president

AUSTIN, Texas (KTRK) -- The president of the University of Texas-Austin said his wife has been diagnosed with COVID-19, which he says is the first coronavirus case at UT.

In an open letter sent Friday, Gregory Fenves also added that a second family member, who also works at UT, has a presumptive case of the fast-spreading virus.

"I have now been tested for the virus, and the three of us are in self-isolation," Fenves stated.

Fenves explained he and his wife Carmel were in New York City last week, and after they returned home last Saturday, she had mild flu-like symptoms.

"She tested negative for the flu (March 12) and was then tested for COVID-19. This morning at 5:30 a.m., we received the news that she had tested positive. This news came several hours after local health officials had announced two other, separate cases in Travis County," Fenves wrote.

Fenves also strongly recommended that anyone who came into contact with him, his wife or the unidentified family member to start self-isolating.

On the same day as Fenves' letter, UT canceled classes heading into spring break. Still, his letter expressed anticipation of a case appearing on the campus.

"We had been anticipating that someone in Austin or at UT would test positive for COVID-19 in the coming days or weeks and, as you know, we will be making modifications for the rest of the semester," Fenves concluded

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