For on-demand VIDEO of L.A. County Health Dept. news conference, click below:

Now-labeled the "2019 Novel Coronavirus," it's not automatically fatal but has shown a capacity to induce fatal pneumonias and since December has killed at least 50 people and sickened thousands in Wuhan (site of its initial outbreak.)

In its release, the LA County Dept. of Public Health said there's "no immediate threat to the general public, no special precautions are required, and people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness." It said "Los Angeles residents, students, workers, and visitors should continue to engage in their regular activities and practice good public health hygiene as this is the height of flu season across the County."

LBREPORT.com provides the full L.A. County Health Dept. Jan. 26 release below:

[Scroll down for further.]

...The infected person presented themselves for care once they noticed that they were not feeling well and is currently receiving medical treatment.

There is no immediate threat to the general public, no special precautions are required, and people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness.

Los Angeles residents, students, workers, and visitors should continue to engage in their regular activities and practice good public health hygiene as this is the height of flu season across the County.

Public Health is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal, state and local agencies to monitor this novel coronavirus that has emerged from Wuhan, China over the past few weeks. This is a rapidly evolving situation and information will be updated as it becomes available.

Additional information about the case

This person is a returning traveler from Wuhan City, China. The person has been confirmed to have this new strain of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by the CDC. The person is currently receiving appropriate care at a local hospital. In order to protect patient privacy/confidentiality, Public Health is not releasing the location.

Public Health officials are working to identify persons who may have had close personal contact with this individual, including any friends, family members or health care professionals, to monitor them for signs and symptoms of illness and to take measures to prevent spread of the virus.

This is the only cases of 2019 novel coronavirus in LA County. There are currently 4 cases in the United States.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The LA County release comes within hours of a release that first surfaced near the midnight hour (Jan. 26) on the OC Health Care Agency's Facebook page. OCHCA said says the individual was a "traveler from Wuhan China" now "in isolation" in an unidentified hospital and is "in good condition." It says there's "no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County" and says the "current risk of local transmission remains low."

[OCHCA release text] The OC Health Care Agency’s (HCA) Communicable Disease Control Division received confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this evening that an Orange County, California case has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The case, a traveler from Wuhan, China, has been in contact with the HCA and was provided guidance in order to reduce exposure to the public while awaiting laboratory confirmation from the CDC. The individual has now been transported to a local hospital and is in isolation in good condition.

In consultation with the CDC and the California Department of Public Health, the HCA is following up directly with all individuals who have had close contact with the case and are at risk of infection.

The HCA will be monitoring any close contacts and assure that proper evaluation and care is provided if they become ill. The CDC’s guidance indicates that people who have casual contact with a case (in the same grocery store or movie theater) are at minimal risk of developing infection.

There is no evidence that person-to-person transmission has occurred in Orange County.

The current risk of local transmission remains low.

Sponsor

Sponsor

Elsewhere on its website, OCHCA says "Based on experience with other coronaviruses, 2019-nCoV’s incubation period is presumed to extend up to 14 days. The virus’s transmission dynamics have yet to be determined. The primary clinical symptoms have been respiratory, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. A significant proportion of cases have had pneumonia. Cases of more mild illness are being identified as well; at this point it is not clear how likely severe illness is for persons infected."

OCHCA notes in Jan. 23 webposted information that "Care is supportive. No vaccine or specific treatment for 2019-nCoV infection is available."

Sponsor

On January 22, LB's Dept. of Health and Human Services issued a "Public Health Notice" stating that it's "closely monitoring an outbreak of a novel (new) coronavirus (2019-nCoV)...While the threat of 2019-nCoV in Long Beach remains low, the Health Department is closely monitoring the situation and is in constant communication with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), local hospital emergency departments, urgent care centers and local providers to obtain and provide the most updated guidance."

LB's Health Department urged "individuals to disclose any recent travel to Wuhan, China to their providers if they develop symptoms such as fever or respiratory symptoms, and providers are encouraged to ask patients about their travel history and report any suspected cases of 2019-nCoV to the Health Department immediately..."

Sponsor

Sponsor

The U.S. CDC has implemented "symptom screening" of travelers arriving from Wuhan, at LAX (and SF and NY JFK airports). OCHCA says "Most travelers from Wuhan to the United States will pass through one of these airports and receive a health assessment upon arrival. If this assessment reveals no evidence of acute illness, they will be educated about the current outbreak and instructed to seek medical care if they develop illness. Orange County providers may care for patients who develop illness following travel from Wuhan." [The Chinese government has implemented measures that now include preventing individuals from leaving Wuhan, a city of roughly 11 million people.)

OCHCA notes that "traveler cases from Wuhan have been identified in other areas of China, including Beijing and Shenzhen, as well as Taiwan, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea. The first United States case was confirmed earlier this week in a Washington state traveler from Wuhan. It says the initial illnesses "are believed to be related to animal exposure at the Wuhan South China Seafood City (also called the South China Seafood Wholesale Market and the Hua Nan Seafood Market), which was closed on January 1. More recent cases have demonstrated that person-to-person transmission occurs, and several cases have been seen in healthcare workers who cared for cases, though it’s unclear how easily or sustainably the virus is spreading between people."

On Jan. 23, OCHCA issued a release about the "2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV)" that states in part:

Patients who qualify for assessment for 2019-nCoV should be asked to wear a surgical mask as soon as they are identified and be evaluated in a private room with the door closed, ideally an airborne infection isolation room if available. Healthcare personnel entering the room should use standard precautions, contact precautions, airborne precautions, and use eye protection (e.g., goggles or a face shield). If a patient that has suspected or confirmed 2019-nCoV is being cared for in a facility that can provide airborne precautions, OCHCA will not routinely recommend transfer to an alternate facility for care."

CDC has implemented symptom screening of travelers arriving from Wuhan, at Los Angeles International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. Screening will be implemented soon at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport. Most travelers from Wuhan to the United States will pass through one of these airports and receive a health assessment upon arrival. If this assessment reveals no evidence of acute illness, they will be educated about the current outbreak and instructed to seek medical care if they develop illness. Orange County providers may care for patients who develop illness following travel from Wuhan.

Developing. ...

Support really independent news in Long Beach. No one in LBREPORT.com's ownership, reporting or editorial decision-making has ties to development interests, advocacy groups or other special interests; or is seeking or receiving benefits of City development-related decisions; or holds a City Hall appointive position; or has contributed sums to political campaigns for Long Beach incumbents or challengers. LBREPORT.com isn't part of an out of town corporate cluster and no one its ownership, editorial or publishing decisionmaking has been part of the governing board of any City government body or other entity on whose policies we report. LBREPORT.com is reader and advertiser supported. You can help keep really independent news in LB similar to the way people support NPR and PBS stations. We're not non-profit so it's not tax deductible but $49.95 (less than an annual dollar a week) helps keep us online.