In the midst of an outbreak of a new virus that's spreading from China, a passenger arriving at Boston's Logan International Airport from Beijing prompted a brief scare Wednesday.
Paramedics were called to Terminal E, where a sick passenger was reported, according to Massport, which runs the airport. But Boston EMS said the passenger was evaluated and not taken to the hospital — they did not have symptoms consistent with coronavirus.
It comes amid heightened medical screening at the airport, as people arriving from abroad are being screened for a new coronavirus, a flu-like illness that's been spreading from Wuhan, China. Over 130 people have died in that country.
Logan is one of 20 "quarantine stations" nationwide where international travelers are being screened for coronavirus.
Another passenger on the Hainan Airlines flight from Beijing, China's capital, said the sick passenger coughed, prompting flight attendants to check on her condition and take her temperature.
"It looks pretty promising now," Alex Wang told NBC10 Boston.
The passenger refused to be taken to the hospital, according to Boston EMS.
Other passengers could be seen wearing surgical masks, both to protect themselves and to protect others from any illness the wearers might be carrying. Surgical masks are regularly worn by sick people in some countries.
Several cases of coronavirus have been identified in the United States, but none yet in New England. In China, 132 people have died out of nearly 6,000 confirmed cases, and people have tested positive for coronavirus in more than a dozen other countries.
