Coronavirus Evacuees Arrive At MCAS Miramar In San Diego

SAN DIEGO — A plane carrying American evacuees from the Wuhan region of China, where the deadly new coronavirus was first detected, arrived Wednesday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego.

The plane was one of two flights carrying a total of about 350 American evacuees from Wuhan, and both arrived early Wednesday morning at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield in Solano County in Northern California.

One of the planes remained at Travis Air Force Base, where its passengers will undergo a 14-day quarantine ordered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the other plane will headed to MCAS Miramar after refueling.

The San Diego-bound landed at 9:25 a.m. at MCAS Miramar. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were aboard the plane.

The evacuees will be screened by CDC medical personnel and then moved to a quarantine site on the base. They will stay for a federally mandated 14-day quarantine in the base's Consolidated Bachelor's Quarters or Miramar Inn, according to Capt. Matthew Gregory, director of communications for MCAS Miramar.

During their stay at the base, the evacuees will be provided food, water and other items by the county's Department of Health and Human Services. Department of Defense personnel will not have direct contact with any of those returning from China, Gregory said.

Nearly 200 Americans arrived Jan. 29 at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside. They are being quarantined at the base after being evacuated from Wuhan.

A child from the group, whose age and identity have not been disclosed, was taken to Riverside University Medical Center Monday evening "out of an abundance of caution" after developing a fever. Test results from the child will be sent to the CDC, and results are expected later this week, according to health officials.

No confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Riverside and San Diego counties.

A San Diego County resident who developed a respiratory illness after traveling to Wuhan tested negative for coronavirus last week.

"We are monitoring this new virus just like we would any infectious disease," said Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. "We are prepared and conducting surveillance to keep this virus from spreading locally."

• Also see: San Diego County Resident Tests Negative For Coronavirus

The coronavirus epidemic has claimed at least 490 lives, with more than 24,000 infections recorded in China.

The respiratory illness is treatable, and many patients are recovering, according to reports. Patients have reported mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath.

There have been 11 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S., with six cases in California, including one case each in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Temporary quarantine and processing sites have been established at major airports, including LAX.

The virus was first identified by the Chinese government on Dec. 31, when authorities indicated an unknown pneumonia variant was infecting residents of Hubei Province.

Many of the patients in the outbreak had some link to a large seafood and live animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients diagnosed with coronavirus have not reported exposure to animal markets, indicating the virus is now spreading from person-to-person.

By City News Service; Kristina Houck/Patch contributed to this report.