Cruise-Ship Coronavirus Patient Arrives At Sonoma County Hospital

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — A person confirmed to have the 2019 Novel Coronavirus — COVID-19 — is being treated at a Sonoma County hospital, the county's Department of Health Services said Tuesday. The patient, who arrived at a Sonoma County hospital Monday night from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, was among a group of American citizens and permanent U.S. residents evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, county officials said.

The patient is receiving care in Sonoma County to lessen the burden on the local health-care system in communities near the base, the county said Tuesday in a statement.

The county went on to say that the patient tested positive for COVID-19, but was "not showing any symptoms of the virus, such as fever and difficulty breathing."

"The transfer of this case into a county hospital should not be a cause for alarm and I can assure you that proper protocols and safety measures are being taken in the care of this patient," said Sonoma County Health Officer Dr. Celeste Philip. "The county’s health system is prepared to respond to COVID-19 cases and we have been working with local health care providers, CDPH and CDC to minimize the impact to our county."

Some 50 miles west of Travis AFB, Sonoma County is not the only jurisdiction in the Bay Area to receive COVID-19 patients from the military base.

Shortly after the Diamond Princess evacuees' arrival Feb. 16 at Travis AFB, Napa County announced two people — one of whom was reportedly being treated for a confirmed case of COVID-19 while the other was under observation for the virus — were taken in as patients at St. Joseph Health, Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.

The Napa patients were being treated in isolation, according to county health officials and hospital administration.

Two cruise-ship evacuees who also tested positive for COVID-19 arrived at a Contra Costa County hospital early Tuesday morning, according to a statement from Contra Costa Health Services.

Both counties declined to say at which hospital or in which city the coronavirus patients were being treated.

"The patient was not infected in Sonoma County," officials with Sonoma County Department of Health Services said. "DHS will not release further details about the patient or facility to protect their privacy."

In similar statements, both counties said they are working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health "to ensure the patients receive excellent care and that all procedures are followed to protect the community from COVID-19."

Sonoma County residents who experience symptoms such as fever and cough and have been in close contact with someone who returned in the last 14 days from China should contact their health-care provider.

Anyone who has traveled to the United States from China since Feb. 2 is asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms under the guidance of their local public health department for 14 days after return.

On Friday, a CDC spokesperson told Patch that 172 of 355 U.S. evacuees from the ship were brought to Travis AFB. Of those, at least five had tested positive for COVID-19 as of Friday, with another 10 patients pending test results. Patch did not immediately hear back from CDC Tuesday as to whether any of the 10 pending cases were confirmed as positive.

Two other groups of Americans who were evacuated from China and brought to Travis AFB have completed their 14-day quarantines and have been released from the military base, the CDC told Patch.

Japanese officials have confirmed at least four deaths are believed linked to the coronavirus outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

• MORE HERE: 2 Confirmed Coronavirus Patients At Contra Costa County Hospitals