Update: Coronavirus risk in Sacramento County low as first case of illness reported
Sacramento County reported Friday that a local resident who had visited China tested positive for novel coronavirus, the first case in the Sacramento region and the 14th in the United States. A day earlier, a case was announced in rural Humboldt County.
The Sacramento County traveler returned to the United States from China on Feb. 2, Sacramento County officials said, and after experiencing mild symptoms, the person consulted a physician and coordinated a test through Sacramento County Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Public health officials said the individual, who is now asymptomatic, took precautionary measures during travel and has self-quarantined since returning. The county health department continues to monitor the individual.
“Cases in the U.S., including this first case in Sacramento County, have primarily been travel-related,” said Dr. Peter Beilenson, director of the Sacramento County Department of Health Services. “The risk of COVID-19 to the U.S. public continues to be low. Sacramento County health providers are continuing to be vigilant, monitoring for acute respiratory illness, and gathering recent travel information to detect any new COVID-19 cases.”
Hours after the county announced the coronavirus test results, officials with the California Department of Justice sent a memo to staff stating that one of the agency’s employees had some contact with the individual the county was monitoring.
An employee “who works at the Broadway location was briefly in contact with a family member who recently returned from China and has been diagnosed with novel coronavirus (COVID-19),” the memo stated. “The Public Health Department is confident that our employee has had minimal exposure and is exhibiting no medical symptoms.”
The memo also noted that the public health department is working closely with the family on their 14-day quarantine. The county told The Bee that “close contacts are assessed and managed appropriately to protect the well-being of our community.”
The individual diagnosed in Humboldt County also is doing well, according to a report from the health officer there, Dr. Teresa Frankovich, and that person also has self-isolated at home along with a close contact who also had traveled to China. The second individual is being tested for the respiratory illness that has killed more than 2,350 people in China. More than 77,900 cases of the illness have been confirmed worldwide, only 634 of which have been outside China.
In a Humboldt news release, officials said that it was not surprising a case had emerged there given that many county residents travel overseas, including to China. Officials also noted that other cases may occur in the county among travelers and their close contacts. Humboldt’s population numbered 136,754 in a 2017 census bureau report.
The U.S. government has evacuated hundreds of Americans from Wuhan, China, and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, putting them up at military bases. That has sparked concerns among local residents concerned about the potential for the spread of the virus.
In Costa Mesa, federal officials were making plans to house as many as 50 people diagnosed with new coronavirus at the state-owned Fairview Developmental Center, according to a news release issued by city officials. After hearing of the plan, Orange County leaders sought a legal injunction Friday to prevent it and won a temporary reprieve from a federal judge.
“Our top priority is the safety and security of this community and those who live in this region,” Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said in the news release. “We have received no information regarding how the facility will be prepared, what precautions will be taken to protect those in the facility as well as those who live nearby, and other important planning measures.”
The California Health and Human Services Agency released a statement Saturday noting that many patients who have coronavirus do not require hospitalization. The federal government has determined, however, that any quarantined individuals who test positive for coronavirus cannot continue to stay at Travis Air Force Base.
“Fairview Developmental Center is one of the possible locations under consideration for this purpose,” the statement said. “If Fairview were chosen, the federal government would be responsible for providing health care — easing the burden on our hospitals during flu season — and for providing robust security to ensure the public safety and public health of the surrounding community.”
Coronavirus conspiracy theories, confirmed cases
There have been a number of conspiracy theories and rumors as it relates to the new coronavirus. People have emailed The Bee with tips about local coronavirus cases, but none has been confirmed. And, an Oroville resident recently emailed a link to a YouTube video posted by someone telling residents that a case of coronavirus was being covered up in Butte County.
The individual talking on the video never shows his face on camera and provides no proof of his claim, but he ends by urging residents to come to Jesus if they wanted to be saved.
Lisa Almaguer, the communications manager for the Butte County Public Health Department, said there are no confirmed cases and no suspected cases in Butte County.
“We have zero returning travelers under investigation,” she said. “People are rightly concerned, but they should maintain getting their information from official sources. This person that posted the video certainly hasn’t reached out to the health department with concerns.”
When counting the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States, the CDC distinguishes travelers who came to the United States via commercial carriers and their close contacts from Americans who were evacuated by chartered airplanes. The agency reported a total of 35 cases as of 4 p.m. Thursday, 21 of whom were U.S. evacuees brought back home on chartered flights.
This new coronavirus, a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses, originated in bats and spilled over into the human population. Researchers do not know where or when the virus first infected a human subject, but multiple cases of COVID-19 were reported among people who visited a market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
What are the symptoms of new coronavirus?
- Fever
- Coughing
- Shortness of breath
How can you protect yourself from new coronavirus?
Keep in mind that public health agencies say the risk of human-to-human transmission in the United States is extremely low. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, they recommend using everyday precautions that people take to prevent cold and flu:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If you really can’t get to soap and water, then use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
- Can’t wash your hands right away? Avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes as these are areas where the pathogens can grow.
- Do not stand close to people who are sick. That may mean taking the stairs rather than an elevator.
- If you take an elevator, try not to touch buttons with your fingers. That’s also true for other objects or surfaces that other people may touch. Clean and disinfect those areas if you can. Otherwise, avoid touching them.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, either using a tissue or your elbow. Throw used tissues in the trash right away.
- If you are sick, stay at home. If you have traveled to China or have been on an international flight with others from Wuhan in the last two weeks, you may wish to seek medical treatment for any symptoms. Call ahead to let them know why you’re coming. They may wish to admit you into an isolated unit.
- Although many people have purchased face masks as a way of fending off infectious diseases, no public health agency has recommended that the general public use them. While masks prevent a spray of droplets from landing in your nose or mouth, airborne germs can still penetrate around the edges of the mask. N95 respirators can ward off germs, but they are most effective when employed by people who are trained to use them correctly. If you have facial hair, microscopic pathogens will be able to sneak through the tiny passages made by hairs.
This story was updated Saturday to correct the count of U.S. cases to 14. The previous total had included three confirmed coronavirus cases among repatriated Americans evacuated from Wuhan, China. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention count those individuals separately from travelers who came to the United States via commercial carriers.
This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Update: Coronavirus risk in Sacramento County low as first case of illness reported."
