CDC confirms possible first case of community transmission of Coronavirus in CA

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed a possible first case of community transmission of COVID-19 in California.

The patient is a resident of Solano County and is receiving medical care in Sacramento County.

The individual had no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual.

There are no cases of the Coronavirus in Santa Barbara County at this time.

The CDC says California has a strong health care system and public health infrastructure. They also assured that California is prepared for the potential spread of disease in the past and is prepared and actively responding to the potential community spread of the virus.

Contact tracing, in this case, is in progress.

The CDC assures that the health risk from Coronavirus to the public remains low at this time.

While the Coronavirus has a high transmission rate, it has a low mortality rate.

According to the international data the CDC possesses, those who have tested positive for the Coronavirus, approximately 80 percent do not exhibit symptoms that would require hospitalization.

There have been no confirmed deaths related to the Coronavirus in the U.S. to date.

Locally, the Public Health Department in Santa Barbara County is working closely with its healthcare partners to assure screening, testing and care for potential Coronavirus patients is available across the county.

The director of the department gave the following statement:

“Public Health has been working diligently to prepare for the possibility of a COVID-19 case in our county. The health of our Santa Barbara County community is our top priority and although we’ve seen a possible case of community transmission in our state, the risk to our County community remains low at this time. We will continue to keep community members and local health care providers informed as we know more.” 

Van Do-Reynoso, Director for the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department

The California Department of Public Health's Emergency Operations Center has been actively coordinating response efforts across the state and is preparing for possible community transmission.

California continues to work with federal and local partners to be prepared and responsive in any situation.

This case would be the first known instance of person-to-person transmission in the general public in the U.S.

Previously known instances of person-to-person transmission in the U.S. were from Chicago, Illinois and San Benito County, California. But both of those cases were infected by prolonged interaction with a family member who returned from Wuhan, China and had tested positive for the virus.

Currently, California has had seven travel-related cases, one close contact case and one community transmission.

To take precaution the CDC gave the following steps to protect one's health:

• Washing hands with soap and water.
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid contact with people who are sick are all ways to reduce the risk of infection with a number of different viruses.
• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever or cough.

For more information about the Coronavirus disease, please click here.