Coronavirus: ER doctor tests positive two days after conference with ER doctors

California doctor Rosny Daniel has tested positive for Covid-19

A doctor who attended a conference for emergency room (ER) doctors has tested positive for coronavirus, according to Buzzfeed News.

Rosny Daniel attended the conference in New York City, before falling ill and testing positive two days later, leading to fears he may have infected hundreds of ER doctors.

Alongside working as an ER doctor, the 32-year-old is an assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

The conference, which was organised by the Council of Residency Directors (CORD) was set up to discuss teaching methods, innovation in emergency medicine research and as a late addition, coronavirus.

The doctor confirmed that precautions were being taken at the conference, telling Buzzfeed that ”there was more hand sanitiser than I’ve ever seen at a conference.”

Mr Daniel explained to Buzzfeed that at the time even the medical community was unsure how the situation was going to escalate.

“We absolutely didn’t know what was happening, nor where this was gonna strike,” said Mr Daniel. “Everyone there, we’re all people who care about the health and wellbeing of our communities. We just happened to have terrible, terrible timing.”​

Despite his worries about Covid-19, the people close to him didn’t properly understand the situation, until the number of cases started to increase.

“I was already paranoid,” he said. “Friends I was with started to make fun of me for being paranoid. But Tuesday, we were all like, ‘holy s**t.’”

Mr Daniel let the organisers of the conference, as well as his university know about his test and subsequent result.

On Saturday, American College of Emergency Physicians announced in a press release that two other ER doctors were in intensive care in the US after contracting Covid-19.

“Today we received word that two of our ACEP members are in critical condition as a result of COVID-19. An emergency physician in his 40s in the state of Washington presented with symptoms consistent with the COVID-19 syndrome. A 70-year-old member in New Jersey has tested positive for the virus,” read the statement.

“I am deeply saddened by this news, but not surprised. As emergency physicians, we know the risks of our calling. We stand united with our colleagues and our thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery are with each of them and their families.”

In the US 4,461 cases of the disease and 85 deaths have been recorded so far.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended a two-week ban on gatherings of more than 50 people as part of the battle to contain the spread of the contagion.