Coronavirus patients confirmed in Los Angeles and Orange counties
Coronavirus patients confirmed in Los Angeles and Orange counties
by Richard K. De Atley
Two cases of coronavirus have now been confirmed in Southern California, one each in Los Angeles and Orange counties, health officials said Sunday, Jan. 26.
Both patients were identified as travelers from Wuhan, China.
The Los Angeles County case was announced Sunday, when the patient, identified as a returning traveler from Wuhan, “presented themselves for care once they noticed that they were not feeling well.”
That person, who was not further identified, “is currently receiving medical treatment,” according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.
“There is no immediate threat to the general public, no special precautions are required, and 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 statement said.
Health officials said they would have additional information Sunday during a news conference.
On Saturday, the Orange County Health Care Agency confirmed a case of coronavirus after a traveler from Wuhan, China — ground zero for the deadly disease — tested positive.
The OC Health Care Agency said it received confirmation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday evening that an Orange County case has tested positive for the coronavirus that appears to have spread from China.
The patient, a “traveler from Wuhan, China, has been in contact with the HCA and was provided guidance in order to reduce exposure to the public while awaiting laboratory confirmation from the CDC. The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition,” the HCA said in a statement.
The Orange County agency said it, in consultation with the CDC and the state Department of Public Health, is following up with all people who have had close contact with the patient.
It said:
–The HCA will monitor any close contacts and assure that proper evaluation and care is provided if they become ill.
–The CDC’s guidance indicates that people who have casual contact with a case (such as in the same grocery store or movie theater) are at minimal risk of developing infection.
–There is no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County.
“The current risk of local transmission remains low,” the agency said in a statement.
Information about the coronavirus is on the OC agency’s website here.
Also Saturday, the new virus accelerated its spread in China with 56 deaths so far, and the U.S. Consulate in the epicenter of the outbreak, the central city of Wuhan, announced it will evacuate its personnel and some private citizens aboard a charter flight.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called the outbreak a grave situation, and the government stepped up efforts to restrict travel and public gatherings while rushing medical staff and supplies to Wuhan, which remains on lockdown.
The latest figures reported Sunday morning cover the previous 24 hours and mark an increase of 15 deaths and 688 cases for a total of 1,975 infections.
The government also reported five cases in Hong Kong, two in Macao and three in Taiwan. Small numbers of cases have been found in Thailand, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal, France and Australia.
Canada said it discovered its first case, the man is his 50s who recently flew from Wuhan to Guangzhou, China, and then on to Toronto.
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All credit goes to Richard K. De Atley Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com
