8,400 People Being Monitored For Coronavirus In CA: Gov. Newsom

SACRAMENTO, CA — Just one day after health officials confirmed California has the first case of person-to-person transmission of the new coronavirus in which the source is unknown, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday said 8,400 people are being monitored in 49 jurisdictions in the state for symptoms of the disease.

Newsom also said 33 people in California have tested positive for the virus, although five of them left the state. The total of 33 is dramatically different from what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported. Following Newsom's comment, the CDC's official coronavirus website still lists the total number of U.S. cases as 14. The CDC notes that its calculation "does not include people who returned to the U.S. via State Department-chartered flights."

At a news conference in Sacramento with other state officials, Newsom said more than 800 of the 8,400 people came to California on repatriation flights from overseas and that thousands more arrived from "points of concern and potential points of contact, particularly Asia."

The governor said the state's top priority will be point-of-contact diagnostic testing, and the CDC is sending more testing kits. The state currently has just 200 kits on hand, Newsom said.

"We'll get the kits any day now. We have a robust tracking system," said California Health and Human Services Agency Director Dr. Mark Ghaly.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, multiple outlets reported a whistleblower's complaint alleging that federal health workers were given inadequate training and protective gear while treating coronavirus evacuees sent to military bases in Riverside and Solano counties.

The CDC on Wednesday confirmed that a Solano County woman contracted the virus, even though she has not traveled overseas and she has not had close contact with people who have tested positive for the coronavirus, officially called COVID-19.

Newsom said the CDC is sending 10 people to help track whoever had contact with the Solano County woman, who is being treated at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento. She was transferred there from another hospital.

There has been criticism of the handling of her case, as she was reportedly hospitalized for four days before a coronavirus test was administered. UC Davis confirmed a lag time between her admission and the test. "Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be COVID-19," the hospital said in a written statement. "We requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, since neither Sacramento County nor CDPH is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. Since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19, a test was not immediately administered. UC Davis Health does not control the testing process."

At the news conference Thursday, state Department of Public Health Director Sonia Angell said she could not disclose more information about the Solano County patient.

"This is a fluid situation, but the threat remains low," Angell said. "Our operations center is prepared for the worst and the best situation. This case marks a turning point," Angell said regarding the Solano County patient.

"This is a new and rapidly developing situation, but this is not the first time we have faced these kinds of challenges," said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services. He advised California residents to listen to their local and state health officials.

Two people with a confirmed case of the new coronavirus who were taken to Travis Air Force Base after they were flown to the U.S. from Asia are now in Bay Area hospitals — one in Marin County and one in Sonoma County.

The public health officers in both counties said their presence is no cause for alarm.

— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story

Also See:

• Workers Treated CA Coronavirus Evacuees Improperly: Whistleblower
• First CA Person-To-Person COVID-19 Case Is Solano County Resident
• New CA Coronavirus Could Be First US Case Spread In Community
• Flight Attendant Working Out Of LAX Diagnosed With Coronavirus
• Coronavirus Emergency Declared In Orange County
• Alameda Woman Returns Home From Quarantined Coronavirus Cruise
• Coronavirus Outbreak In The U.S. Now Likely, The CDC Warns
• Easy Ways To Avoid Getting Sick This Season