Contra Costa County, which now has four confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), has received 300 test kits from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health officials said at a Friday afternoon news conference.
Officials with the Contra Costa County Health Services Department held the news conference to discuss Friday’s confirmation of three new novel coronavirus cases, including two Contra Costa County residents who were aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship docked off the coast of San Francisco.
Health officials also provided an update on the county’s first case, a patient who is listed in critical condition at a local hospital. The patient, who was confirmed to have contracted the virus on Tuesday, is not known to have a travel history putting them at risk to contract the virus and did not have close contact with another patient prior to showing symptoms.
The three new cases of COVID-19 are patients who are currently quarantined in their homes, according to the county. In addition to the two cruise ship passengers, the third patient, also a resident of the county, is confirmed to have had close contact with a coronavirus patient in another jurisdiction.
All three patients are currently quarantined at home but are not sick enough to require hospitalization, officials said.
“We’re ramping up our testing, we’re doing more and more all the time,” said Dr. Ori Tzvieli, the county’s medical director for public health.
“We expect to see more cases because of that and we’re looking to see where they’re coming from.”
While local public health officials are not recommending the closure of schools and busy public areas like restaurants and coffee shops, officials advised residents older than 50 and people with chronic medical conditions to avoid large crowds and events to reduce their risk of contracting the virus.
County officials also plan to discuss the virus on a conference call with local school district representatives on Monday.
“We recognize that we’re asking people to take steps that are, to some, may be disruptive in their lives,” Health Services Department Director Anna Roth said. “We’re only asking the public to do steps that we believe will have a positive effect on reducing community risk from the coronavirus.”
As of Friday morning, there were 69 confirmed cases of the virus in California and one person had died, according to state health officials.
That’s not nearly enough.
This administration has really bungled the response.
President Anti-vaxxer probably shouldn’t have called it a hoax and cut funding to the CDC.
Well said. The man continues to be a failure. Under his very poor direction and continual deceit, people are dying, and will continue to.
Trump has always signed into law the revised budget proposals provided to him by Congress. CDC funding has INCREASED since Trump took office. Trump has no more bungled to response to Coronavirus as Obama/Biden did in their response to H1N1 in 09 which killed 12000 and was particularly fatal to the young and healthy. Covid-19 is a severe cold that causes deadly complications in the medically fragile. China has been lying to us for heavens knows how long about this virus…it was already here before we truly knew there was a problem. Trump just signed off on 8.3 billion of emergency funding to tackle this problem today, and we’re working on getting more tests available (not that everyone needs to be tested… you’ve got a cold? assume it’s coronavirus and don’t go out in public spraying your mucus and spittle all over the place) What exactly do you think he could be doing? Freak out on national TV telling everyone the world is ending because of a bad cold? Now if you excuse me I have to camp out at the Costco parking lot so I can try for toilet paper tomorrow.
I see someone forgot their meds. He never said that the virus is a hoax. What he said ” the Democrats are politicizing the Coronavirus,” and, “One of my people came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, they tried to beat you on Russia, Russia, Russia.’ That didn’t work out too well. They couldn’t do it. They tried the impeachment hoax. And this is their new hoax.”
Talk about bungle. Who allowed the passengers from the plane that was transfer to Travis Airforce Base? Nope not Trump but one of Obama’s leftover henchmen in the State Department who went over the president.
2 years ago Trump fired the whole CDC pandemic response team and their White House support staff. At the same time Trump cut the CDC budget by 19% and cut spending to the World Health Organization. Watch how the Trumpkins start claiming Trump increased CDC spending (but only as of this week).
Goodness, even the most low effort research yields results that confirms that, absolutely not, has Trump cut funding to the CDC. He puts funding cuts into a budget he presents to Congress, Congress says no. Congress gives him a counter offer and he accepts or he doesn’t accept. Trump has very definitely accepted increases to CDC spending.
As for “firing” the entire pandemic response team… that’s not what happened. Ziemer quit and then Bolton disbanded the unit. This pandemic response team had been created in response to Ebola and they had, for the most part, done their duty and Bolton at the time felt it unnecessary to reassemble a new team.
“people are dying under Trump’s poor direction and continual deceit”
Name one death or name one lie.Show your source other than something you heard on the bus..When you make up your own facts or watch CNN then Trump becomes a liar while telling the truth that you don’t like.
How many people died and are still dying under the Clinton’s constant deceit and criminal direction.
$20 says when you turn in your TV it automatically goes to MSNBC.
They’re gonna need a lot more.
Some people are in a panic.
Someone was complaining that the population was getting to a breaking point in the Bay Area.
Well, here’s your answer!
That should get us through next week.
Just let this go. Has anyone thought that maybe the planet/Mother Nature is finally getting back at us? (Probably not cause y’all too think headed.) I mean we treat our planet like crap. These folks who are in a panic, have you ever thought about what animals go through when they die? Have you thought about changing your diet/eating/lifestyle habits? Mostly likely not.
Have you done anything to help make a difference for our future? Again most likely not. Bottom line, maybe it’s our time, to many people (especially in CA) anyways. Oh and just another reason to be healthy!
You first.
China knew what they were doing.
It is a kit not one test. A kit contains thousands of individual tests. More are coming online soon.
China practically shut down their whole nation over this virus. It may be worse than what is being reported.
A kit actually contains 50-60 tests, per the Washington Post.
300×50=15,000 tests in a County of 1.1 million people.
This is why .gov is nervous.
Considering the TP hysteria, how many (hypochondriac) people are going to show up and “demand” being tested?
I thought it was 500 tests per kit.