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A new case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Santa Clara County, California. This case also has an unknown origin, making it the second case that could possibly be from community spread in California. (You can see Heavy’s updates on the virus and confirmed cases across the world here.)
The Case Has an Unknown Origin & Is Being Treated at El Camino Hospital
So far, the origins of how the newest confirmed patient caught the coronavirus are not known, The Mercury News reported. Here’s a map of Santa Clara County, the location of this newest case:
The patient is now being treated at El Camino Hospital. It’s not clear how this new patient was exposed to the virus. They did not travel overseas and did not have any known contact with an infected person. According to The Mercury News, the patient is 65.
This is the third case in Santa Clara County, but the other two cases are not recent and were both mild. The first case was identified on January 31. The patient is a man who had traveled to China. He never was hospitalized and is now fully recovered.
The second case was a woman who had also recently traveled to China, confirmed on February 2. She also didn’t need to be hospitalized and is in under observation at home but in good condition, MV Voice reported. She only sought treatment twice for outpatient care.
This Is the Second Possible Case of ‘Community Spread’ in California
Another possible case of communtiyi spread was reported on February 26, NBC Bay Area reported. This one is also not connected to a cruise ship or any other known origin, reported Ian Cull of NBC. The CDC said it was possible that “the patient may have been exposed to a returned traveler who was infected.”
The person’s case was picked up by U.S. clinicians, the CDC said, bringing the total number of cases in the U.S. to 15. The patient was from Solano County and is being treated in Sacramento County.
On February 19, UC Davis Medical Center received the patient but the CDC didn’t test the patient until four days later, even though the hospital had requested a test sooner than that, USA Today reported. The hospital already had the patient on contact precautions because they were concerned about the possible virus. The patient is from Solano County and was intubated and on a ventilator when they arrived at UC Davis Medical Center, according to a statement from the hospital, NPR reported.
Later on the afternoon of February 27, the UC Davis campus announced that three people are in isolation and one is being tested for COVID-19 while the other two are asymptomatic. The three are living in Kearney Hall and, at this time, classes are not being canceled. You can read the statement from UC Davis here.
In addition, a student from Los Rios Community College and a student from Consumnes River College are self-quarantining because, in their roles as medical professionals, they came in contact with the patient, KRON 4 reported.