Katie Couric 'Working from Home' After Contact with Friend Just Before His Coronavirus Diagnosis
Like many Americans, Katie Couric is currently working from home amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The longtime journalist shared that after she briefly saw her friend Rick Cotton — who tested positive for the virus — over the weekend, she is choosing to work from home “to be safe.”
Couric, 63, shared on Twitter that she has spoken with representatives from both the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, who told her that her risk of contracting COVID-19 from Cotton is very low.
“My interaction was a 90-second conversation with an asymptomatic person and involved no physical contact,” Couric said in a tweet, explaining that she and Cotton did not touch during their interaction on Saturday.
“I am now quadruple checking with the @CDCgov. But overall, the people I spoke to said to continue using common sense and good hygiene practices and if I start having symptoms or not feeling well I should go to my primary care doctor immediately,” Couric continued.
Mike Windle/Getty; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Katie Couric, Rick Cotton
“Hopefully, this is helpful for anyone who deals with this in the future + I will keep you guys updated as soon as I have more info!” she added.
In another tweet, Couric said that the New York Department of Health and her primary care physician told her “that it was not necessary to self-quarantine.”
RELATED: Here’s a Map of All the Coronavirus Cases in the U.S.
Still, Couric decided to work from home after talking to another CDC official.
“Just talked to a @CDCgov official who said I’m very low risk given the duration and nature of contact. I will be working from home to be safe and make sure if I’m not feeling well I will go to the doctor. Will keep you posted,” she shared.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo confirmed that Cotton, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, had tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, the New York Times reported.
David Buchan/Variety/REX/Shutterstock
Cotton is currently self-quarantining and working from home as well, Cuomo said.
“He has been at the airports, obviously, when many people were coming back with the virus,” the governor said at a news conference Monday, the Times reported.
As of Monday, there are 595 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, with the majority of those cases in Washington state, California and New York.
The CDC says that the best prevention methods are basic forms of hygiene — careful hand washing, avoiding touching the face, moving away from people who are coughing or sneezing and staying home at signs of illness.
