SOLANO COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Solano County has declared a local emergency Thursday after a resident contracted the coronavirus from unknown origins.
The declaration will help bolster the county’s response to the outbreak.
The woman who tested positive lives in Solano County, home to the Travis Air Force Base where dozens of people infected in China or on cruise ships have been treated.
California Department of Public Health officials said there was no evidence the woman had any connection to the base.
Health officials also said the woman has not traveled to a foreign county, or had any known contract with a confirmed case.
The patient initially was hospitalized at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital in Vacaville.
Officials say at no time did the patient display COVID-19 symptoms, as described by the CDC, at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, but was transferred to UC Davis where a higher level of monitoring and care could be provided.
It took was four days before the CDC heeded a request to test the patient for COVID-19.
The Vacaville hospital is still open and operating normally but has identified employees who treated the woman and have asked some of them to stay home and monitor themselves for symptoms.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declined comment when asked by reporters to name the community in Solano County where the woman was from but urged people to take precautions while emphasizing that the risks to public health were low. He said there was no need to declare a public health emergency.
Steve Huddleston with NorthBay Healthcare says they have identified dozens of employees, thought less than 100, who had contact with the woman.
He says those employees have been asked to stay home and monitor themselves. The length of time will be in keeping with CDC guidance.
Health officials are recommending the public to take these precautions to stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like COVID-19:
– Wash hands with liquid soap and water and rub for at least 20 seconds;
– Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing;
– Stay home if you are sick; and
– Get a flu shot to protect yourself and others from flu, which has similar symptoms to COVID-19.
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