UPDATE: MARCH 13, 2020
The County of San Diego government website on Friday is reporting eight presumptive positive cases of Coronavirus.
The new number is a jump from Thursday's announcement of five new cases. Those cases include individuals on repatriation flights (2/5/20 and 2/7/20) from Wuhan, China, or from the Grand Princess cruise ship, who were placed under federal quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar.
No other details were reported at this time.
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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego leaders say there have been five new cases of the novel coronavirus in the county.
The cases come as a Marine stationed at MCAS Miramar became the second confirmed case of coronavirus in the county by military sources. At last report, the county's first coronavirus patient was doing well.
Wilma Wooten, County public health officer, detailed the new cases as:
- A female in her 70s who was reported to the county by the CDC. The woman was on the Grand Princess cruise ship that arrived in Oakland on Monday. The woman is at home in isolation.
- A male in his 50s with a history of travel to Colorado.
- A male in his 40s who may also have a history of travel to Colorado. He is at home in isolation.
- A female in her 70s who was in federal quarantine at MCAS Miramar after travel on the Grand Princess cruise ship. The woman is in the hospital in isolation.
- A man in his 50s who is currently hospitalized. The man may have been a case of community transmission.
In addition, a public health order starting Friday will ban any mass gathering of 250 people or more through the end of March, San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said. Gatherings that are under that limit are being asked to limit social distance to six feet at events.
"We are strongly recommending that they cancel all non-essential travel, that they prioritize staying in the comfort and security of their own homes, and they do everything they can to avoid large crowds," said Nick Yphantides, San Diego County chief medical officer.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer also issued a State of Emergency for the City of San Diego to take advantage of financial assistance in response to combating the virus' spread.
"Folks we have been planning for this for decades ... and there are certain data driven triggers that give us the ability to know ahead of time if our system is stressed," Yphantides added.
The county has installed about 114 hand washing stations around the region. Another 54 stations are being installed by MTS transit centers as well.
Leaders also issued a new advisory to seniors 65 and older and to people with chronic illnesses to cancel non-essential activities and avoid big crowds as much as possible.
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To address those experiencing homelessness in the county, about 90 motel rooms have been secured to house and shelter the displaced and homeless who are infected. The goal is to avoid crowding hospitals. A task force has also been handing out hygiene kits to the local homeless population to protect against the virus.
Health officials say the risk to the general public remains very low.
Thursday, a fourth flight carrying passengers from the Grand Princess cruise ship was expected to land at MCAS Miramar. The base has already received about 400 passengers over multiple flights for quarantine.
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Symptoms for the coronavirus include fever, cough, and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. Health experts encourage people to cover their cough or sneeze, wash their hands thoroughly and often, stay home if feeling ill, avoid touching their face and mouth, and clean surfaces often to protect themselves against the virus.