First Coronavirus Death Confirmed In Sonoma County

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Officials confirmed the first coronavirus-related death in Sonoma County. The person died Friday and had tested positive for coronavirus, although county officials do not have the death certificate so they do not know the exact cause of the death, Sonoma County Spokeswoman Jennifer Larocque told Patch.

The person who died was a Sonoma County resident but information about their age, city of residence or any possible underlying health conditions were not available Saturday evening.

"We have limited information; we know we had someone pass yesterday and they had coronavirus," Larocque said.

As of Saturday evening, there were 23 cases of coronavirus — COVID-19 — in the county, 24 including the death, Larocque told Patch.

Across California, there have been 25 coronavirus-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. The national total rose to 323. The U.S. also has more than 26,100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, as of Saturday night. Now just China and Italy have reported more cases.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom called up the National Guard Friday to assist deliveries at the state's food banks.

Grappling with the coronavirus crisis, the governor said the executive order will provide short-term food security to isolated and vulnerable Californians and the short deployment will help to stabilize the immediate need of food banks.

Don't miss updates about coronavirus precautions as they are announced. Sign up for Patch news alerts and newsletters.

The governor's office noted that many food banks have been affected by a significant decline in volunteerism, impacting logistical and local infrastructure for food distribution. The California Guard will initially deploy personnel and logistical equipment to a food bank distribution warehouse in Sacramento County and will conduct immediate site assessments statewide for those counties that have requested short-term support and stabilization.

This short-term assistance from the California National Guard allows time to mobilize AmeriCorps, California Conservation Corps and Local Conservation Corps members, and other volunteers where counties have identified serious gaps, the governor's office said.

The state's food deployment strategy also launches the Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign, which calls on neighbors to be first line of support for California's most vulnerable residents who have been advised to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaign is focused on older adults and promotes ways to safely check on your neighbors, family and friends, and will be run by California Volunteers, the state office tasked with engaging Californians in service, volunteering and civic action.

— Patch editors Maggie Fusek, Bea Karnes, and Bay City News Service contributed to this story