Pittsburgh woman quarantined after returning from China due to coronavirus concerns

PITTSBURGH — A Pittsburgh woman is in quarantine after returning home from China where the deadly novel coronavirus has infected thousands of people.

Pat Premick is stuck in her home, unable to leave for two weeks after being quarantined by the Center for Disease Control. She was just in a village in China when news of the outbreak spread.

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Surprisingly, she was able to get on a plane back home with no issues.

“Literally all we did was fill out a piece of paper: no, I didn’t go to Wuhan. No, I don’t have the symptoms. In no flight did anyone even take my temperature … I was shocked,” Premick said.

Premick told Channel 11 she believes the Communist Party in China is covering up just how deadly the coronavirus is.

“My friends (in China) had friends who worked in the hospital and said, ‘The numbers you’re seeing aren’t the truth. It’s much worse,’” said Premick. “These crematoriums in Wuhan are burning 24/7.”

Premick should be cleared by doctors next week. She said she can’t wait to go to a restaurant and be around people again.

Here is a timeline of Premick’s journey to China and back:

• Dec. 13, 2019: Pat Premick arrives in China for what’s supposed to be a 3-month trip
• Mid-December: Chinese doctors who first reported coronavirus are punished for “spreading rumors.” This was around the same time Premick first heard of the virus
• Jan. 23: Wuhan is placed on lockdown as China begins to acknowledge the virus
• Mid-January: Premick starts making plans to leave China, but some villages are locked down
• Morning of Feb. 2 (China): Premick boards a plane for the United States. She told Channel 11 she just had to answer some questions and was not given a health screening
• Evening of Feb. 2 (United States): Premick arrives home in Cranberry, nearly two full months earlier than she had planned for
• Feb. 17: Expected end of quarantine, assuming Premick passes all health screenings.

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All of the information included on this page came from the CDC and was current as of Feb. 13.

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