Second coronavirus case confirmed in Tulare County, after person traveled to Bay Area
A second case of the coronavirus has popped up in Tulare County.
The Tulare County Public Heath confirmed Friday night that another patient has tested positive for COVID-19.
The individual, whose age and gender was not revealed, had returned from a trip in the Bay Area before going into Kaweah Delta for testing, according to Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency spokeswoman Tammie Weyker-Adkins.
It’s unclear how the person contracted the coronavirus and how many people that person may have come into contact prior to the testing, Weyker-Adkins added.
The individual currently is self-quarantined at their home, Tulare Public Heath and Human Services stated.
On Wednesday, the Tulare County Health and Human Service’s Public Health Branch reported the county’s first positive test for the coronavirus.
The individual was in stable condition and it is believed the virus was contracted out of the area, Tulare County Public Health Branch Officer Dr. Karen Haught said in a news release.
In regards to the second positive testing, Tulare Public Heath and Human Services stated that Kaweah Delta employees followed proper infection prevention protocols throughout contact with the individual and there is no reason to believe that anyone was infected during this time.
Per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, Kaweah Delta is closely monitoring all employees who came in contact with the patient, and will test and treat anyone who displays symptoms.
“We are committed to the health and safety of this community and we continue to work tremendously hard to ensure that we are doing everything possible to keep patients, staff, and visitors safe,” Gary Herbst, Kaweah Delta’s Chief Executive Officer, said in a news release.
“We have a dedicated team that works on infection prevention measures year-round, but we established a dedicated task force in February that has been meeting regularly to help us improve our plan as COVID-19 has evolved.”
Effective immediately, Kaweah Delta has also activated an incident command center in the Medical Center that will be staffed 24/7 to ensure the organization can immediately respond to any situations that may arise.
Tulare County Health & Human Services Agency advises if anyone who thinks they’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and develops a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing, to call your primary physician rather than walking into a medical office or hospital.
Your physician will connect with Tulare County Public Health to determine if testing is appropriate.
This story was originally published March 13, 2020 at 9:10 PM.