Two cases of new coronavirus reported in California. There are now 5 diagnoses in US
California has been holding its breath in anticipation of its first case of coronavirus. Since late Saturday night, state residents got word that two individuals in the state have been diagnosed with the illness.
Both Orange County and Los Angeles County said that the two individuals were travelers who flew into California from Wuhan, China, with symptoms of the disease and that both had identified themselves as having symptoms associated with new coronavirus. Nationally, two other travelers from China have been diagnosed with coronavirus since Jan. 21, the first in Seattle and the second in Chicago.
“L.A. County is well-prepared to manage cases and suspected cases of novel coronavirus,” Barbara Ferrer, director of L.A. County Department of Public Health, said in a news release. “We are working closely with our federal, state and local partners to provide healthcare providers and the public with accurate information about actions we are taking to reduce the spread of novel coronavirus and to care for those who are ill.”
The CDC confirmed that a fifth case of coronavirus had been spotted in Arizona as of Sunday afternoon.
KNXV-TV, the ABC affiliate in Phoenix, reported that the patient is a student at Arizona State University who lives off-campus in Maricopa County. The person recently returned from a trip to Wuhan, according to the television station.
California on high alert
California public health officials had been on high alert for the virus because of the number of direct flights between China and California, and in social media posts, U.S. residents have expressed concern about the news reports from abroad.
In a statement released to The Sacramento Bee, the California Department of Public Health said: “The state will continue to monitor the situation, work with partners to identify any possible cases, provide information and consultation to ensure that possible cases are managed safely, support laboratory testing, and implement recommendations from the CDC.”
The communicable disease control division of Orange County’s Health Care Agency noted that their team had been in contact with the traveler prior to diagnosis and had provided the individual with guidance on how to limit exposing others to the respiratory infection. Both individuals were taken to hospitals for isolation, diagnosis and treatment.
Orange County officials said in a statement that, “in consultation with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the HCA is following up directly with all individuals who have had close contact with the case and are at risk of infection.”
No one knows yet how easily new coronavirus can be spread, according to epidemiologists with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus causes mild to severe respiratory distress and is often accompanied by fever, a cough and shortness of breath.
The CDC warned that symptoms may not appear for two to 14 days after exposure. They are basing this estimate on the incubation period for the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, a coronavirus that first appeared in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and has since spread around the world. About three or four out of every 10 people who contracted that illness have died.
SARS, also a strain of coronavirus, emerged in 2002 and, within nine months, infected 8,098 people around the world. Of those who contracted it, 774 died, according to statistics from the World Health Organization.
Death toll rising in China, no U.S. deaths yet
The death toll from new coronavirus had risen to 56 by early Sunday. By comparison, more than 8,000 U.S. residents, 149 of them in California, have died since the annual influenza epidemic, more commonly known as flu season, began on Sept. 29, 2019. In California, the death toll from the flu has more than doubled since Jan. 1.
The source of this new coronavirus is not yet known. SARS came from civet cats, while MERS came from camels.
Ferrer said there are steps that everyone can take to reduce the risk of getting sick from viruses, including coronavirus. Remain at home if you are ill, she said. Wash hands with soap and water frequently, she said, and if a vaccine is available, get it. The risk of transmission of coronavirus in Los Angeles County remains low, she added.
In the news release, L.A. County public health officials seemed to show concern about potential profiling of residents, saying that “people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness.”
The CDC has been screening passengers arriving into the San Francisco International Airport for signs of the new coronavirus.
Passengers have their temperature taken as part of the health screenings and are asked to complete a questionnaire outlining symptoms. Travelers with a fever, cough or other symptoms undergo further assessment.
Inbound flights from Wuhan to San Francisco are Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — about 150 passengers on average are aboard the Wuhan-to-San Francisco flights, according to airport officials.
Regional airports ‘following the issue closely’
The alerts at SFO are having no effect on operations at Sacramento International Airport — an airport without service to China, said airport spokeswoman Samantha Mott.
“We’re not a first point of entry,” Mott said Friday. “We’re monitoring the situation and (Sacramento County’s) public health office is involved in getting updates from California Department of Public Health, but it has not affected our operations.”
Neither are travel alerts in place at Oakland International Airport, which also does not offer service to China; but officials there are monitoring the evolving situation, said Mike Zampa, a Port of Oakland spokesman.
“We’re following the usual protocols and taking the lead of the CDC. We’re following the issue closely,” Zampa said.
The California Department of Public Health told The Bee that, as of Friday, there have been 18 people tested for novel coronavirus in California, and the age range of those individuals is 3-58 years of age.
During a news conference in L.A. County, public health officials noted that they maintain confidentiality of the people infected in order to encourage people to report symptoms but try to release enough information that those who might have come into contact with infected individuals will know.
As the number of cases of coronavirus escalated in China, a trade association of Chinese travel agencies announced that, starting Monday, it would suspend overseas tour groups, flights and vacation packages for Chinese citizens, effective Monday.
This story was originally published January 26, 2020 at 10:34 AM with the headline "Two cases of new coronavirus reported in California. There are now 5 diagnoses in US."
