2 Confirmed Coronavirus Patients At Contra Costa County Hospitals

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA — Two people with confirmed cases of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — COVID-19 — are being treated at hospitals in Contra Costa County, public health officials said Tuesday morning. Contra Costa Health Services says the individuals were not infected with the virus here in Contra Costa County; they were among American passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and flown on U.S.-chartered airplanes to Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, some 40 miles north of Martinez, the county seat of Contra Costa County.

The two patients arrived in Contra Costa County early Tuesday morning from Travis AFB and are "receiving care in Contra Costa due to a lack of space at facilities closer to the base that can properly isolate them to minimize the risk of spreading the virus," county public health officials said.

"While the two patients tested positive for COVID-19, they have yet to show any symptoms of the virus, such as fever and difficulty breathing," according to Contra Costa Health Services.

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The local hospitals and county public health officials are working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention — CDC — and the California Department of Public Heath — CDPH — to provide the best care possible to the patients, and to ensure all procedures are followed to protect the community from COVID-19, county officials said in a news release.

"Our county's healthcare system is prepared to handle COVID-19," said Dr. Farnitano, Contra Costa County Health Officer. "We have been working with our hospital partners to follow safety protocols to keep patients and healthcare workers safe and minimize the risk of the virus spreading in Contra Costa."

Further information about the two patients will not be disclosed because they did not become infected in the county and because of privacy laws.

A CDC spokesperson told Patch last week that 172 evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship arrived Sunday, Feb. 16, at Travis AFB. Not long after arriving on U.S. soil, a patient displaying COVID-19 symptoms began receiving treatment in isolation at St. Joseph Health, Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.

Friday, the CDC received confirmation that five of the cruise-ship evacuees tested positive for the coronavirus, CDC Spokesman Scott Pauley told Patch.

The five patients with confirmed cases were being treated at hospitals in and around Solano County, as were another 10 cruise-ship passengers whose COVID-19 test results Pauley said were still pending Friday.

Other than Queen of the Valley, which is the only comprehensive hospital in Napa County, public health officials are not specifying which Northern California hospitals are treating COVID-19 patients evacuated from the cruise ship.

"CCHS is not releasing information about where the patients are being treated to ensure their medical privacy," Contra Costa Health Services Spokesman Karl Fischer said Tuesday in an email response to Patch.

Contra Costa Health Services said local residents should contact their health-care providers if they have symptoms of COVID-19 — a new respiratory virus believed to have originated in Wuhan, China, where thousands have since died after becoming infected — or have had close contact with someone with symptoms who traveled in the last 14 days from China.

All travelers to the United States from China since Feb. 2 have been asked by the CDC to self-quarantine under the guidance of their local public health department for 14 days.

U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak: Not If, But When, CDC Says

The CDC said in a Tuesday morning briefing that 14 COVID-19 cases have been diagnosed in the United States, in addition to 39 cases among repatriated persons from high-risk settings, for a current total of 53 cases within the United States.

"As of February 23, 14 COVID-19 cases had been diagnosed in the following six states: Arizona (one case), California (eight), Illinois (two), Massachusetts (one), Washington (one), and Wisconsin (one). Twelve of these 14 cases were related to travel to China, and two cases occurred through person-to-person transmission to close household contacts of a person with confirmed COVID-19. An additional 39 cases were reported among repatriated U.S. citizens, residents, and their families returning from Hubei province, China (three), and from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that was docked in Yokohama, Japan (36). Thus, there have been 53 cases within the United States. No deaths have been reported in the United States."

The U.S. government and public health partners are implementing aggressive measures to slow and contain transmission of COVID-19 in the United States. In a stark media briefing Tuesday, CDC experts warned it is now just a matter of time before this coronavirus spreads in the United States, becoming an outbreak.

"It's not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore, but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," said Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Nancy Messonnier. "I understand this whole situation may seem overwhelming and that disruption to everyday life may be severe, but these are things that people need to start thinking about now."

According to Messonnier, next-level preventative measures that Americans may expect could include school closures, a shift to tele-healthcare service for people with flu-like symptoms, delays in elective surgeries, an emphasis on working from home, and missed work or loss of income.

The best way for one to reduce their risk of becoming infected with a respiratory virus, such as COVID-19, is to practice good hygiene:

• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
• Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available
• People who are sick should always cover their coughs and sneezes using a tissue or the crook of their elbow; wash hands after using a tissue to wipe your nose or mouth
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with your unwashed hands
• People who are sick should stay home from work or school until they are well

How The Coronavirus Infiltrated The Diamond Princess Cruise Ship, Became Deadly

Four coronavirus deaths were linked as of Tuesday to the Diamond Princess cruise that departed Jan. 20 from Yokohama, Tokyo, with 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew.

The CDC says Diamond Princess passengers and crew were quarantined in the waters off Yokohama, Japan, when a passenger who had recently gotten off the ship in Hong Kong was confirmed to have COVID-19.

According to a statement from Princess Cruises, the guest believed to have carried the virus onto the ship boarded Jan. 20 in Hong Kong and stayed on the cruise for five days. He disembarked Jan. 25 in Hong Kong. Then, on Feb. 1, six days after he got off the ship, he tested positive for the coronavirus. The cruise line said the guest carrying the virus "was not seen in the ship medical center for any reported illnesses during the voyage."

Ongoing transmission of the coronavirus was identified on the ship, and by Feb. 16, 355 cases of COVID-19 were identified among passengers and crew — including 67 U.S. citizens and/or residents.

As a result, the U.S. State Department chartered two flights Feb. 16-17 in order to bring home 329 American passengers. However, because the Diamond Princess passengers needed to be quarantined for 14 days to prevent the spread of the deadly virus, they were flown to two U.S. military bases: Travis AFB in Northern California and Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.

The CDC says that as of Sunday, 36 — 11 percent — of the American passengers repatriated from the Diamond Princess had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 (also dubbed the "new coronavirus," the "2019 Novel Coronavirus" or "COVID-19") and therefore were under appropriate medical supervision.

• RELATED STORY: Cruise-Ship Coronavirus Patient Transferred To Sonoma County

In previous Patch reports about the quarantined cruise-ship passengers, we have identified, through speaking with the CDC, that five of those patients with confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 are being treated here in the Bay Area. It is not yet clear whether the two patients brought to Contra Costa County Tuesday morning are among those five confirmed cases.

Further, the CDC says it is working with the U.S. embassy in Japan and the Japanese government to support U.S. passengers and crew from the Diamond Princess who are still in Japan.

As for the effect the cruise-ship outbreak has had on Japan, roughly half of the passengers were Japanese.

The latest update from Princess Cruises was Thursday, Feb. 20, when approximately 600 guests aboard the Diamond Princess were the first to be cleared by the Japanese Ministry of Health and released to disembark the ship Wednesday, Feb. 19.

"These guests — all being cleared after a COVID-19 test by the Japanese Ministry of Health — were met in the Yokohama cruise terminal by Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises," the cruise line said in the statement, adding that "several hundred" more guests were expected to be cleared that same day by health officials.

"Because of the extraordinary circumstances onboard Diamond Princess, the company is refunding the full cruise fare for all guests including air travel, hotel, ground transportation, pre-paid shore excursions, gratuities and other items," the statement continued. "In addition, guests are not being charged for any on-board incidental charges during the additional time onboard. Princess Cruises will also provide guests with a future cruise credit equal to the cruise fare paid for the voyage."

City News Service and Patch staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.