Health & Fitness
Novel Coronavirus: First Bay Area Case Confirmed
The Santa Clara County case was confirmed by the US Centers for Disease Control. The man had recently traveled to Wuhan, China.
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA — The first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus has been confirmed in the South Bay, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced Friday afternoon. The man's identity has not been released, but he is doing well and never had to be hospitalized.
The health department also emphasized that the man is "self-isolating at home" and has not gone out into public except to visit the doctor. He went to a local clinic and hospital, but the exact locations have not been identified.
The man had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, where the disease was first identified, and got sick after returning home.
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“We understand that this news may be concerning, but based on what we know today, the risk to residents of our community remains low,” Dr. Sara Cody, Health Officer for Santa Clara County said in a press release. “This news is not unexpected. Santa Clara County has the largest population in the Bay Area, and many of our residents travel for both personal and business reasons.”
The health department says the risk to the public from this case is low because the man stayed home. "Santa Clara County residents, students, workers, and visitors should continue to engage in their regular activities," the press release said.
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This is the first case of the new coronavirus in the Bay Area, the third in California, and the seventh in the nation.
Earlier Friday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it has quarantined 195 passengers who arrived Wednesday morning at Riverside County's March Air Reserve Base from Wuhan. This if the first US quarantine since the 1960s.
The novel coronavirus has now been confirmed in 26 countries, according to Friday's count from the CDC. In China, at least 9,692 are confirmed to have the virus, with 213 deaths, according to the National Health Commission of the People's Republic China. The commission also reported 4,812 new suspected cases, bringing the total number of suspected infections to 15,238.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization declared a global emergency.
— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story
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