4 More Coronavirus Cases Reported In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA — Four more Los Angeles County residents have contracted the Coronavirus, public health officials confirmed Thursday. In less than 72 hours, the county went from no cases to 11, but each case has been easily traced to travel abroad rather than a local community transmission.

The latest four patients were part of a group of people who traveled to northern Italy. Wednesday's patients involved three people who were part of the same northern Italy trip, two people related to a patient infected on a cruise ship and an LAX coronavirus screener, according to the county Department of Public health.

All of the patients are in isolation in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, and the people they have been in close contact with are under quarantine. Health officials said they have identified people who were in close personal contact with the patients to assess and monitor them.

"There are no known significant exposures to the general public," according to the health department.

On Wednesday, the county confirmed six other cases of the virus, known as COVID-19. Three of those people were in the same group of travelers as the patients confirmed with the virus Thursday. Two others were relatives of another confirmed patient who lives outside the county, and the last case "is a person whose job at the time exposed them to travelers from other countries who may have been infectious."

County health officials later confirmed that the job-related patient was a contract worker who was conducting medical screenings of passengers at Los Angeles International Airport. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Wednesday saying the person is a "medical professional" who was screening passengers for coronavirus at LAX had tested positive for the illness.

"This individual is currently under self-quarantine at home with mild symptoms and under medical supervision," according to a DHS statement to NBC News, which first reported the case. "Their immediate family is also under home quarantine."

DHS officials said the person last performed screenings at the airport on Feb. 21. County sources said that was seven days before the worker showed any symptoms of the virus, and there is no concern the person may have transmitted the disease to any airport passengers.

The county's first patient confirmed with the coronavirus was diagnosed weeks ago and has since recovered.

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