Several infected California patients linked to China

In California, more than 50 cases have been reported, including one death that was announced on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Times reports.

About half the cases have been people who caught the virus either on the Diamond Princess cruise ship or in Wuhan, China, where the outbreak was first reported, and were then repatriated to the U.S. and quarantined at California military bases.

The other half were returning travelers or, in at least five instances, people who contracted the virus in their communities.

Below is a geographical rundown of the California cases in select areas:

Los Angeles

There have been seven confirmed cases. The first was a Wuhan resident who was flying through L.A. on January 22 on his way back to China and sought care at Los Angeles International Airport, health officials announced January 26.

The patient was taken directly to a hospital, was quarantined for 14 days and has been released, said L.A. County public health director Barbara Ferrer. More than 50 people who came into contact with the patient, many of whom were health workers, were identified as at risk and asked to limit contact with others, Ferrer said.

Health officials on Wednesday confirmed six additional patients, all of whom they said were exposed to the virus through close contact with others who were infected.

Half of the new cases were travelers who had visited northern Italy, two were family members who had close contact with a person outside of the county who was infected, and the other had a job that put them in contact with travelers, officials said.

L.A. county and city officials declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to the growing case counts.

Orange County

There have been three confirmed cases in Orange County. Public health officials announced January. 25 that a returning traveler from Wuhan had tested positive for the virus. The patient was isolated in a hospital and has since recovered, officials said.

Officials confirmed two additional cases Tuesday: One was a man in his 60s and the other a woman in her 30s. Both had visited countries with widespread transmission, officials said.

On February 26, the county declared a local health emergency in response to the coronavirus.

The move was largely in response to a proposal to move coronavirus patients to a facility in Costa Mesa, which sparked a bitter court battle. The federal government has since retreated from the plan.

Sacramento County

A Sacramento County resident who returned to the U.S. from China on February 2 was found to have the virus, officials announced February 21.

The person took precautionary measures during travel and was asymptomatic but had self-quarantined since returning, according to the county public health department.

San Benito County

Two cases have been reported in San Benito County, both on February 2. A man, 57, who had recently returned from Wuhan became ill and passed the virus on to his wife, also 57. Officials said the couple had not left their home since the husband returned from China. They were not hospitalized and were isolated in their home.

A flight with U.S. citizens fleeing the coronavirus in China arrives at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego on February 7.

San Diego County

Two cases have been reported in San Diego County, both of them among people who were evacuated from Wuhan and flown to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to be quarantined.

Authorities announced the first case on February 10 and the second two days later. Both patients were hospitalized at San Diego Health System shortly after arriving at the base, officials said.

The first patient was mistakenly discharged from the hospital February 9 and sent back to the base after a mix-up with the test results, but was returned to the hospital the following day for care.

Both patients have since recovered and been released.

County public health officials declared a local emergency on February 14 in response to the virus.

Santa Clara County

Of the 11 cases in the county, at least four were linked to travel. Five of those infected contracted the disease within the Santa Clara region while the origin of two cases is under investigation.

Authorities announced the first on January 31, a Santa Clara County man who fell ill after his January 24 return from China. Officials said the man had self-isolated at his home, leaving twice to seek medical care.

Three more cases associated with travel have been reported in the county. Over the weekend, officials announced that a husband and wife who had recently visited Egypt were hospitalized with the virus.

A bigger concern, officials say, is an older adult woman who was infected but had no known exposure through travel or contact with another infected person. The woman had been hospitalized for a respiratory illness.

The most recent two cases, announced Tuesday, prompted county officials to warn people over 50 and with medical conditions to avoid large gatherings, such as sporting events and concerts.

San Mateo County

Officials recently reported their first positive case of the virus. The source of exposure is unknown, as the person has no known exposure to the virus through travel or contact with another infected person.

Solano County

Most of the cases in Solano County are associated with evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where passengers were quarantined off Japan after some of those who had boarded tested positive for the coronavirus.

Some of the evacuees were taken to Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield. Of those who arrived there, 21 tested positive, the CDC said Wednesday. Some of them were then transferred to hospitals outside the county.

Solano County is also where the first confirmed case of community spread in the U.S. was reported.

An older woman who was hospitalized at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital with fever and breathing problems was transferred to UC Davis Medical Center, where she was eventually diagnosed with the virus, officials announced Wednesday. She was “in her community” for several days before accessing care, officials said.

The woman had not recently traveled to a high-risk area, nor had she been in contact with someone with the virus. She was not tested for several days after her initial hospitalization because she did not fit screening criteria set by the CDC at the time. The guidelines have since been revised.

More than 100 people, most of whom were health workers who had contact with the woman, have been asked to self-quarantine. On Sunday, officials announced that one of them, a worker at NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, was also diagnosed with coronavirus and was in in isolation at home.

So far, her family members have tested negative for the virus but remain in quarantine, officials said.

On Thursday, the county declared a local emergency due to the virus.

Sonoma County

Officials in Sonoma County declared a local health emergency Monday after announcing two people had been diagnosed with the virus.

One patient, who officials said earlier this week was isolated and in stable condition, had recently traveled internationally on a cruise unrelated to the Diamond Princess cruise.-Photo: Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times