Coronavirus: 2nd Patient In Santa Cruz County Confirmed

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — Santa Cruz County confirmed a second case of the new coronavirus Monday. The patient is recovering in isolation.

The patient's test came back positive Sunday and public health officials determined the person was sickened while on a trip to Seattle, before returning home on a flight, the county said in a statement. Officials are investigating and trying to notify contacts and people who could have been exposed.

"Unfortunately, this new case confirms that COVID-19 is present in our community and is not an isolated case," said county Health Officer Gail Newel. “I urge all community members to take steps to protect themselves and their families.”

The county said it expects more cases to be confirmed as testing becomes more widely available in the coming days.

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The county announced its first confirmed case Sunday after Friday night test results confirmed the patient was positive. The resident, whose identity and hometown were not released, had traveled on the Grand Princess from San Francisco to Mexico from Feb. 11-21.

The ship, carrying more than 3,500 passengers, was recently on its way from Hawaii to San Francisco but remains off the coast of California while authorities determine a "non-commercial port" for it to dock.

Officials say 21 people aboard the ship have tested positive for the virus and that 19 of them are crewmembers.

Santa Cruz County has not announced any confirmed cases of the virus, but on Wednesday 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.

— Bay City News service

See more:

• 1st Coronavirus Patient Confirmed In Santa Cruz County
• State Of Emergency Declared In CA Amid COVID-19 Death, Outbreak
• Coronavirus: County Declares Emergency, Citing Need To Prepare