UPDATE: Presumptive Coronavirus case in Ventura County actually tests negative
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. - The presumptive positive case for an 8 -year-old being treated at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles was retested by Los Angeles Children’s Hospital with a new sample from the child. The results were negative.
Ventura County Public Health re-tested the original specimen and also had a negative result. The same specimen is with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Ventura County Public Health is waiting for the official results.
“Ventura County Public Health can no longer confirm a case of community transmission at this time. This is good news, it may put us further ahead on the curve of preventing the widespread outbreak of COVID-19 in Ventura County,” said Ventura County Public Health Officer, Doctor Robert Levin.
ORIGINAL STORY: The Ventura County Public Health Department announced that two more "presumptive positive" cases of coronavirus have been identified in Ventura County.
The first of these cases was a person who traveled from Egypt. The Health Department said this person has had limited public contact since coming back and is now under home quarantine.
The second presumptive case is an 8-year-old child who has been treated multiple times over the past month for an underlying condition. The Health Department said the child has not been to school in over 14 days and is now being treated at a hospital outside of Ventura County.
At this time, the Ventura County Public Health Lab has conducted 112 coronavirus tests. From those, only one has come back positive from both the County and the CDC. Four cases total are presumed to be positive and are pending confirmation from the CDC.
The Public Health Department said that, based on available evidence, children do not appear to be at higher risk for the coronavirus compared to adults.
Symptoms of the virus in children include a fever and cough. Children diagnosed with the virus have generally shown milder symptoms than adults do.
Children with underlying medical conditions and special healthcare needs may be at higher risk for severe illness, however. Other higher-risk individuals include older adults, people with compromised immune systems or serious chronic medical conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer or lung disease.
The Ventura County Public Health Department is encouraging all members of the community who are at higher risk to take action to reduce their risk of contracting the virus by practicing social distancing by avoiding public settings, people who are sick, hugging and shaking hands.
All community members are advised to frequently wash their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, to avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
If you do feel sick, the Department asks that you contact your doctor before seeking medical care so that the necessary precautions can be taken.
For more information about the coronavirus in Ventura County, you can visit www.vcemergency.com.
