First San Diego County Resident Tests Positive For Coronavirus

SAN DIEGO, CA — Public health officials Monday night confirmed San Diego County's first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in a local resident.

The woman, who is in her 50s, tested positive after traveling overseas to an unspecified location, according to Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county's public health officer. The patient is being treated at a hospital in the county.

The woman was tested after she was admitted to the hospital with symptoms, officials said. She had contact with someone inside her household, who is currently under self-quarantine, as well as health care workers. Officials do not believe the patient had contact with the general public.

It is the first case of coronavirus, officially known as COVID-19, in a county resident. The case is considered presumptive positive until test results are confirmed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last week, a person who works at an AT&T retail store in Chula Vista but lives in Orange County tested positive for coronavirus, prompting the temporary closure of some AT&T stores in the region.

In February, the county also had two coronavirus cases involving people who were under federal quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar after being evacuated from Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. Both of those patients have since been treated and released.

Read more: AT&T Store Employee In Chula Vista Tests Positive

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019 is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is currently no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

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According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.