Coronavirus: 2 UCSC Workers May Have Been Exposed

SANTA CRUZ, CA — Two University of California, Santa Cruz staff members may have been exposed to the new coronavirus on Feb. 27 and are self-quarantined at home, working remotely. The workers are looking into testing and have not shown any symptoms.

The two workers were part of the Genomics Institute and visited the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative offices in Redwood City last month. That same day, a contract worker was onsite. The contract worker tested positive for coronavirus, but the UC Santa Cruz workers were not among the seven people who were close enough to the worker to contract direct transmission, according to a statement from the university.

UC Santa Cruz also said a student experienced respiratory symptoms and was tested for coronavirus off-campus, but the test came back negative on March 5. The student's roommates were placed in quarantine housing as a precaution and the roommates have returned to their dorm.

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The university said its student health center is working with the county and the school Office of Emergency Services has a quarantine protocol for dorming students, which includes a private bedroom, phone-in wellness checks and meal deliveries. Sick students may complete their work remotely.

Students who have a fever and respiratory system will be directed to a separate area of Student Heath Services.

Tissues and hand sanitizer are being distributed across campus, and the university said it is also preparing materials and town halls to discuss the situation, the university said.

UC Santa Cruz is working with the county and state health departments, and is not currently planning to cancel classes or adjust its operations.

The university said it will monitor the situation, post information here and notify the community of any updates.

California Braces For Potential Impact

Santa Cruz County has not announced any confirmed cases of the virus, but on Wednesday county Health Officer Gail Newel issued a Local Health Emergency for the new coronavirus due to concerns about its spread in neighboring counties and a need to prepare for a potential outbreak.

Anyone with concerns about their health should contact their doctor or call 211 to find a local clinic. The county encourages the public to visit santacruzhealth.org/coronavirus for local updates and links to important CDC updates.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Wednesday to provide additional resources, prevent price gouging and help the state better prepare for the virus’s spread.

The emergency declaration followed the first known coronavirus-related death in California — an elderly Placer County resident who was exposed to the virus on a Grand Princess cruise Feb. 11-21 from San Francisco to Mexico and back.

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, now called COVID-19, 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. Ninety-nine cases have been reported across 13 states, with 10 U.S. deaths confirmed, according to a Thursday CDC update.
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 as yet 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.

Read more about the coronavirus outbreak here on the CDC website.

See more:

• State Of Emergency Declared In CA Amid COVID-19 Death, Outbreak
• Coronavirus: County Declares Emergency, Citing Need To Prepare

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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