California health officials have reported the first death due to COVID-19, a disease caused by coronavirus, according to several media reports.
The first coronavirus death in the state, which would make for the 11th death from the virus in the United States, happened in Placer County, an area outside of Sacremento, Los Angeles Times reporter Soumya Karlamangla said in a tweet.
Northern California health officials told the media that the California victim was an elderly man who had other health conditions. He had been in isolation at a Roseville hospital before his death. The man was likely exposed to the virus while he travel in February on a Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico, officials said in a statement
The Associated Press reported Wednesday afternoon reported a tenth coronavirus death, having been the only state reporting U.S. deaths prior to the Placer County victim.
Earlier Wednesday, Los Angeles Supervisor Kathryn Barger proclaimed the state of emergency for California after six new cases of coronavirus had been reported. During a press conference Wednesday morning, Barger said her team, state and federal agencies had been preparing for the possibility of a public health emergency.
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“I wanna reiterate that this is not a response rooted in panic,” he said. “We have been preparing with our local state and federal partners for the likelihood of this scenario. This declaration of a local emergency will help facilitate our efforts to coordinate with all our partners and jointly implement effective strategies to protect our residents.”
On Tuesday night, the confirmed cases were determined to be due to known exposure rather than community transmission, according to Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the county Department of Public Health. She also spoke at a press conference on Wednesday.
She said one of the patients has been hospitalized and five others were in self-quarantine at home.
The county's first case was in January, a person who lived in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. She says that person is no longer infectious.
The city of Pasadena will also declare a state of emergency Wednesday, health officials told the Los Angeles Daily News Wednesday. The city has no confirmed cases of the virus yet.
Officials with Kaiser Permanente confirmed to various media outlets that it was treating a newly diagnosed coronavirus patient in Los Angeles.
“Kaiser Permanente is overseeing the care of a coronavirus patient who is home in self-isolation and being treated on an outpatient basis,” according to a Kaiser statement. “We are in touch with and monitoring the patient.”
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