Coronavirus: Child Quarantined At March ARB Hospitalized

MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A child, who is part of a group of people quarantined at March Air Reserve Base amid concerns over the 2019 Novel Coronavirus has developed a fever and been taken to Riverside University Health System-Medical Center for testing and observation, Riverside County Public Health officials announced Tuesday morning.

The child, whose age and identity were not provided, was transported by ambulance Monday evening "out of an abundance of caution" and is accompanied by a parent, according to the officials.

The parent and child are part of a group of 195 passengers who were flown to March ARB from Wuhan, China last week and placed under a 14-day federal quarantine. The City of Wuhan, which is in the Hubei Province, is the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.

Testing samples will be submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and results are expected later this week, officials said.

"We are unable to determine a clear diagnosis," county Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser told the Board of Supervisors during its meeting at the County Administrative Center. "It could be some other viral cause. The child will remain in isolation until we determine what it is.

"The flu is going to kill more Riverside County residents than coronavirus," he said. The doctor said multiple county agencies, in partnership with federal and state agencies, were working in concert to adhere to a uniform protocol and were in a good "operational rhythm."

"We took more precautions than needed to move that minor off of the base," Kaiser said. "We have done more than what's necessary."

No confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Riverside County.

March ARB has been set up to receive additional quarantine arrivals. Over the weekend, tents were set up at the base to house an additional 250 people.

One person who flew into Los Angeles International Airport on Monday on a flight from China has been placed under federal quarantine and was transferred to the base, health officials confirmed.

"The individual has no symptoms of novel coronavirus, but was moved to March out of an abundance of caution and because of their travel history," Riverside County Public Health officials reported. "The federal quarantine order for this person expires Feb. 6. The individual will be isolated away from the 195 others who arrived last week."

Kaiser was unsure whether the federal government would place any more quarantine cases at March.

"We're hoping the group there now is the last one, but if not, we will continue to provide excellent service," Kaiser told the board.

The 195 passengers arrived on a U.S. State Department-chartered airplane and were initially said to be staying at March AFB under a three-day voluntary isolation while they were evaluated to ensure none developed any symptoms. Public health officials said the passengers would be able to return home following the 72 hours.

But on Thursday, Riverside County's public health officer ordered one of the passengers to be quarantined for the virus' two-week incubation period "or until otherwise cleared" after that person tried to leave the base.

Then on Friday, CDC officials issued a mandatory quarantine order as a precaution for the entire group, which is mostly made up of diplomats and their families. In issuing the order, federal health officials pointed to a case reported in Germany in which a person might have spread the virus to another person before developing symptoms.

The CDC also mentioned a report published Thursday night in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that infected people can transmit the virus before they develop symptoms.

"While we recognize this is an unprecedented action, we are facing an unprecedented public health threat and this is one of the tools in our toolbox to mitigate the potential impact of this novel virus on the United States," Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said during a media briefing.

County health officials issued a statement saying they "fully support the quarantine order implemented today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Federal officials have now designated four other bases around the country as quarantine sites, according to Takano, and he said his office is now in regular contact with officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and other agencies to stay abreast of developments.

Temporary quarantine and processing sites have also been established at major airports.

The plane from China with the 195 passengers first landed in Anchorage, Alaska, for a refueling stop and preliminary screening of passengers was conducted by CDC personnel about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday before heading to Southern California. Passengers were also monitored throughout the flight and none of them were deemed high risk, Rear Admiral Dr. Nancy Knight, director of the Division of Global Health Protection at the CDC, said.

The original flight manifest stated that there were 240 passengers aboard the flight, but officials said some people did not show up or did not have the proper documentation to board. One person had a fever and had to stay behind in China.

Among the passengers were nine children, the youngest of which is 1 month old.

CDC said that although little is known about the coronavirus, the risk of infection for people in the United States is low.

The federal quarantine order — the first in 50 years — comes amid the federal government declaring a public health emergency and the Trump administration temporarily barring foreign nationals believed to be at risk of transmitting the virus from entering the United States.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department issued its most serious travel advisory, warning Americans not to travel to China.

The Civil Air Patrol squadron located at March Air Reserve Base called off its meeting Monday evening as a precaution while health officials continue to monitor those in quarantine.

"It is in the best interest of our members to cancel the meeting," said Maj. Raymond Gould, Civil Air Patrol Squadron 45 commander, in an email obtained by City News Service. "There is no credible threat to the health of our members, or the surrounding communities of March Air Reserve Base. We are merely being over cautious."

The squadron generally meets in a building on the south end of the base. The current quarantine site is to the west. Business on the base is carrying on as usual, according to officials.

"All (quarantined personnel) have been screened three times, and no one is presenting any symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus," Gould said. "The federal government is merely exercising an abundance of caution."

CAP Squadron 45 is a so-called "composite squadron," numbering both cadets ages 12-19 and adults of all ages. The unit serves a variety of functions within the California Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, which is also known as the Air Force Auxiliary.

Gould said he consulted Wing staff and March ARB officials before making the decision to cancel the meeting.

According to published reports, the novel coronavirus epidemic has claimed several hundred lives in China, exceeding the death toll of the severe acute respiratory syndrome — SARS — outbreak of 2003. Thousands of infections have been documented. The respiratory illness is treatable, and many patients are recovering, according to reports.

The virus was first identified by the Chinese government on Dec. 31, when authorities indicated an unknown pneumonia variant was impacting residents of Hubei Province.

Since then, the 2019-nCoV has been confirmed in a dozen countries, according to the World Health Organization. As of Monday morning, 11 cases of the illness have been confirmed in the United States.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international public health emergency.
The Riverside County Emergency Management Department set up a dedicated phone line to answer residents' questions about coronavirus at 951- 358-5134.

—City News Service contributed to this report.