San Joaquin County Sheriff tests positive for COVID-19, urges residents ‘be vigilant’
San Joaquin County Sheriff Patrick Withrow tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this month, he announced Monday.
In a Facebook video statement posted Monday evening, Withrow said he came down with “cold symptoms” on June 30 and took a test the next day. Eight days later he received a positive test result.
“I’m fine, all my symptoms went away a week ago and I’m very fortunate thank God that it didn’t progress, because in some families it’s gotten very serious,” he said in the video.
Withrow appears to be the first sheriff in the state to publicly announce having contracted the virus, though sheriff’s deputies and cadets across California have tested positive for the coronavirus in recent months.
Withrow, whose brother is Stanislaus County Supervisor Terry Withrow, did not say how he believes he was infected with the virus. He added that while workers in the Sheriff’s Office wear masks and maintain social distancing, he has created a list of recent contacts he’s had to hand over to the public health department for further notification.
“Let’s be vigilant, if you start not feeling well or anything like that please get yourself tested,” Withrow said.
San Joaquin County has become a worrying hotspot for COVID-19 in California. There are currently nearly 7,000 cases of the coronavirus in the county, with more than 700 reported just over the weekend.
This story was originally published July 14, 2020 at 6:46 AM with the headline "San Joaquin County Sheriff tests positive for COVID-19, urges residents ‘be vigilant’."