First Coronavirus Case Confirmed In Marin County

MARIN COUNTY, CA — The first Marin County resident has tested positive for the new coronavirus, county health officials said Monday. The Marin man was a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship that returned Feb. 21 to San Francisco from Mexico.

The man, who is elderly, is being treated at a hospital in the county, health officials said. Officials have identified the people who have been in close contact with the patient and may have been exposed to the virus. They are being isolated and evaluated.

It is the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in a county resident.

A previously reported case in Marin was an asymptomatic patient who was quarantined at Travis Air Force Base in Solano County and transferred to a hospital in the county. The patient, who was not a resident of Marin, was among the passengers evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan. The patient has since been released.

"With over 100 cases statewide, we're unfortunately not surprised to see a case here in Marin," said Dr. Matt Willis, the county's public health officer. "We are monitoring the situation closely and the virus spreads regionally, working in concert with the CDC, California Department of Public Health, and regional health departments."

Last week, the county declared a local state of emergency and the county's Department of Health and Human Services proclaimed a public health emergency.

Following the state's emergency declaration, the county's two proclamations will help Marin get reimbursed by state and federal governments for money spent on preparedness.

The Board of Supervisors is expected to ratify both documents during Tuesday's meeting. Several other Bay Area counties have made similar proclamations.

Also read: Local Health Emergency Declared In Marin County

County officials said they are not issuing cancellations of large gatherings at this time. Older adults and people with existing medical conditions, however, are at greater risk for severe disease if infected by coronavirus, so the county health department recommends older residents consider avoiding gatherings of 100 or more people.

"Nearly one-in-three Marin residents is over age 60, so it's especially important that health officials and residents work together to protect our seniors from infection," said Dr. Lisa Santora, the county's deputy public health officer.

A community meeting about coronavirus is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Marin County Office of Education at 1111 Las Gallinas Ave. in San Rafael.

The forum will include health experts from the Department of Health and Human Services and Kaiser Permanente. Live streaming will be available through the Marin County Office of Education Facebook page.

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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.