3 new coronavirus cases in Santa Clara County

A man in Santa Clara county was hospitalized with the transmission of the coronavirus under investigation, and two men who had close contact with existing patients are isolating themselves at home. That brings the total number of cases in the county to 14, county health officials said in a news release.

Officials in Los Angeles also announced six new cases, all related to travel or contact with someone who had exposure to a confirmed case of the virus.

Health authorities reported earlier Wednesday, Feb. 4, that an elderly Placer County resident died from coronavirus, marking the first California COVID-19 fatality. The resident had underlying health conditions, and was likely exposed to the virus during a trip on a Princess Cruises ship from San Francisco to Mexico, from February 11 to February 21, Placer County Public Health said in a news release.

One other passenger of that cruise has also fallen ill in Sonoma County, and is hospitalized.

The Placer County resident was in isolation at Kaiser Permanente in Roseville, near Sacramento, the health department said.

Officials believe the victim “had minimal community exposure between returning from the cruise and arriving at the hospital by ambulance on Feb. 27,” the department said.

That patient’s death brings the confirmed death toll in the U.S. to 11, with the other ten coronavirus deaths reported are in Washington state.

Ten Kaiser healthcare workers and five emergency workers were exposed to the Placer County victim before the person was put in isolation, and are now quarantined, with no symptoms so far, the department said.

“Other cruise passengers may have also been exposed,” the department said. “Placer County Public Health is working closely with Sacramento County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and contact other cruise passengers.”

Because the case is believed to be travel-related, it does not reflect local transmission of the virus, but “health officials believe local transmission is likely in the future,” the department said.

Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in the news release that the death “underscores the urgent need for us to take extra steps to protect residents who are particularly vulnerable to developing more serious illness, including elderly persons and those with underlying health conditions.”

Princess Cruises said Wednesday that it had been told by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the agency was investigating a “small cluster” of Northern California coronavirus cases linked to a round-trip voyage of the Grand Princess from San Francisco. It was not immediately clear if the victim had made the entire trip.

The Sonoma County resident who also on that cruise was put into isolation at a local hospital, while federal, state and local health officials try to identify people in the community who had contact with that patient before they were hospitalized, the county health department said.

After disembarking from the cruise ship at the port in San Francisco, the patient had taken a shuttle to Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, department spokesman Rohish Lal said Wednesday. “We are currently trying to identify those on the shuttle,” Lal said.

Princess Cruises on Tuesday posted a notice to its website warning passengers that staff will be scanning passports to ensure anyone who has traveled from or through mainland China, Macau, Hong Kong, South Korea, Iran or lockdown areas within Lombardy and Veneto, Italy within 14 days of the start of their cruise won’t be allowed to board.

Passengers will also be screened for symptoms of coronavirus, and were warned to bring an extra two weeks of medication “in the event of unexpected travel delays and emergencies.”

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