California’s 1st coronavirus death reported in Placer County

Gov. Newsom declares state of emergency as more cases reported

March 04, 2020

California’s Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency after the first coronavirus death was reported in the state. The elderly patient, who was in Placer County, contracted the virus while on a cruise ship.

The measure made California the third U.S. state to declare a state of emergency. Washington and Florida are the other two.

The cruise ship the patient was on is now sitting off the coast of the state. State officials asked the ship to not dock in the Port of San Francisco as planned and to await testing of the passengers, some of whom are reporting coronavirus symptoms.

Newsom said the emergency proclamation is intended to help procure supplies and resources quickly. He announced the move Wednesday afternoon during a news conference, hours after the patient’s death in Placer County was announced.

“The ship will not come onshore until we appropriately assess the passengers,” he said.

Newsom said as many as half of the thousands of passengers on board the ship are California residents.

There are currently 53 positive cases of coronavirus in California, Newsom said Wednesday afternoon. He added there are around 9,400 people who are being monitored by health officials.

Reached Wednesday afternoon, the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services said the person who was associated with the person who tested positive there is released from isolation. The person who tested positive in February also has a clean bill of health and was released from isolation last week.

It’s unclear whether there are any local cases of people under observation.

“We are not at this time releasing numbers of people under observation,” DHHS spokesperson Christine Messinger said Wednesday.

The DHHS said it has “not received” information about whether there are residents of Humboldt County on the cruise ship, but state officials said they have a copy of the manifest.

The agency did say there were changes to travel guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The CDC is now recommending that travelers returning from China, Italy, Iran and South Korea stay at home for 14 days upon their return and self-monitor their health,” a news release from DHHS stated. “Travelers returning from Japan are considered to be at slightly lower risk, and the CDC advises them to ‘limit contact with others’ and self-monitor as above.”

“Individuals returning from any of these countries are considered to be at an elevated risk of exposure,” said county health officer Teresa Frankovich in the release.

Newsom on Wednesday stressed areas such as Humboldt and Placer counties are among those being assisted.

“We are sensitive to the needs of rural California,” Newsom said.

Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, runny nose, cough and trouble breathing. Most develop only mild symptoms. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.

In all, more than 94,000 people have contracted the virus worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, with more than 3,200 deaths. WHO reports that the COVID-19 virus is more fatal than the common flu.

Health officials continue to stress common-sense practices including washing hands regularly, coughing into a sleeve and covering mouths when sneezing.

Meanwhile, across the state, there were six new cases of the virus reported including a medical screener at Los Angeles International Airport. Newsom said the state is particularly focused on senior centers, nursing homes and other care facilities where people live together in light of the outbreak in Washington state that has already killed 10 there.

In the nation’s capital, the House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve an $8.3 billion emergency appropriations bill to address the spread of the virus. North Coast U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman voted in favor of the bipartisan bill.

The legislation includes $950 million for state and local health agencies to conduct vital public health activities, including surveillance, laboratory testing, infection control, contact tracing, and mitigation.

“Today, we saw the first loss of life in California from the coronavirus. With strong bipartisan support, the House has provided a serious, fully-funded, science-based supplemental funding bill, and it’s critical the Senate and President Trump move swiftly to enact it and save lives,” said Huffman in a prepared statement. “Americans need a robust, coordinated response to this epidemic — not the kind of chaotic, partisan approach we’ve seen from the administration.”

The bill is expected to be approved by the Senate by the end of the week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Ruth Schneider can be reached at 707-441-0520.


By:  RUTH SCHNEIDER
Source: Times Standard