Coronavirus case confirmed in Madera County, following resident’s cruise ship trip
A Madera County resident has been confirmed as the region’s first case of the fast-spreading coronavirus, following the resident’s return from a recent Princess Cruise trip.
The patient, whose identity and gender have not been released, has been isolated and is reported to be in stable condition after being hospitalized briefly this week, according to a statement by Dr. Simon Paul, Madera County’s public health officer.
Officials did not say where the couple had traveled to.
Paul said his office was notified by the state Department of Public Health on Thursday and asked to monitor a husband and wife who had returned from a Princess cruise. The couple remained isolated in their home, but one of the two developed symptoms of COVID-19, the disease linked to coronavirus.
The couple went to Madera Community Hospital and were met by hospital staff at the car rather than entering a public area. They were masked and taken directly to an isolation room for testing and treatment, officials said.
“This is an isolated case with a known source of transmission,” the county health office reported. One person visited the couple before disease symptoms arose and is now isolated and being monitored by health staff.
The virus, first reported in China, has swept across Asia and is sparking outbreaks in Europe and the United States.
More than 101,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed worldwide with more than 3,450 deaths as of March 6, according to Johns Hopkins University.
As of Friday afternoon, the Sacramento region had reported nine cases, including one death. An undisclosed number of people are being quarantined.
Of 14 deaths nationally, 11 have been in the greater Seattle area.
Read more on the Madera case here
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 8:49 AM.
