2 New Coronavirus Cases In Orange County Under Review By CDC

ORANGE COUNTY, CA —The Orange County Healthcare Agency announced that two people have tested positive in Orange County for the new coronavirus. Secondary test results are still pending to confirm the diagnoses of the two new cases.

According to Dr. Nichole Quick, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 30s, both who recently traveled to a country suffering a widespread outbreak, tested positive for what is officially known as COVID-19 on Tuesday. Some media outlets have reported that both of the patients recently returned from Italy, though they were not traveling together.

Though the pair tested positive in Orange County, test results were sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to confirm the results. Meanwhile, the two patients were self-quarantined at home.Orange County Healthcare Agency officials declined to disclose their cities of residence, citing safety and privacy of those individuals.

Also, OC Health says they are concerned that sharing detailed information could be used by the community to identify them could do harm.

They are, however, conducting "robust contact investigations," according to a spokesperson for that agency.

If there is a chance that others were exposed to either of these cases while they were out in the community while infectious, and health officials will make contact, that agency has said.

The coronavirus has an incubation period of from two to 14 days, they have said.

"The more you look for something, the more likely you are to find it," said Dr. Nichole Quick, the county's health officer.

Over the weekend, four firefighters self-isolated at their fire station while they awaited the results of a possible coronavirus patient they transported. On Monday, that patient was found not to have been infected by COVID-19. The self-quarantined firefighters returned to their homes.

"Now that our Public Health Laboratory is able to perform COVID-19 testing, we expect to see more cases here in Orange County," Quick said. "Our residents should take everyday precautions to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like covering your coughs and sneezes, avoiding touching your face, and washing your hands frequently."

The first person in Orange County who was infected with COVID-19 earlier this year has fully recovered, Quick said.

The news of the new cases comes as organizers of the second-biggest annual convention in Anaheim announced the postponement of the event due to concerns over the virus. Natural Products Expo West officials plan to discuss a new date for the conference in Anaheim later this year. Meanwhile, six more cases have appeared in Los Angeles County.

There have been nine deaths from coronavirus in the United States, all in Washington state. Worldwide, roughly 93,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported, and more than 3,100 deaths.

City News Service contributed to this report.