Around New England

Massachusetts Now Has 8 Coronavirus Cases — Five From Biotech Firm Meeting in Boston

March 6, 2020

The number of coronavirus cases is on the rise in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts has eight cases of the virus as of the afternoon of Friday, March 6, according to NBC 10 Boston.

Five of those cases are connected to a meeting in Boston held by the biotech firm Biogen last week. Biogen is a multinational, multi-billion-dollar biotechnology company headquartered in Cambridge.

Three of the five infected live in Boston and two are residents of Norfolk County. All five people are currently self-isolated at him. Two of those diagnosed with the virus have symptoms of the illness while the other three do not.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said the coronavirus threat to the public remains low. However, he told NBC 10 Boston that the state is “planning and preparing for the potential of more cases to develop.” 

On Friday, March 6, President Donald Trump signed an emergency spending bill providing $8.3 billion in funding to create a vaccine for the virus, as CBS News reports.