2 New Coronavirus Cases Confirmed In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Health officials confirmed two new cases of COVID-19 in Marin County on Saturday, bringing the county's total to five. Neither person had any known exposure to past cases, meaning they are likely the county's first confirmed cases caused by community spread, officials said.

“The first cases of community transmission of COVID-19 in Marin means we’re in a new stage of working to mitigate spread,” Dr. Matt Willis, Marin County Public Health Officer, said in a statement. “We’ve been anticipating this. This is why we took big steps this week, including limiting large gatherings and closing classrooms.”

The two patients, who were not identified, are being quarantined at home. They had both been tested at Marin County's field-testing site, a drive-through center launched last week.

In California, 247 cases had been confirmed and five people had died as of 8 a.m. Friday, according to the California Department of Public Health.

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In light of the growing number of cases worldwide, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday that the new coronavirus had become a "pandemic." The pandemic declaration refers to the scope of COVID-19 — but not its severity — and means it has become a "worldwide spread of a new disease."

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.

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.

Full coronavirus coverage: Coronavirus In California: Latest Cases, Guidance, Updates & More

Patch staffer Kristina Houck contributed to this report.