Coronovirus COVID-19 - Department of Health Services Advice

Sonoma County Department of Health Services

When it comes to the Coronovirus, COVID-19, we shouldn’t be panicking, but some preparation is never a bad idea.

Follow measures you would use to prevent yourself from getting the cold and flu:

· Wash your hands frequently.

· Sanitize if you can’t wash.

· Don’t touch your mouth, nose, or eyes with unwashed hands.

· If you’re sick, STAY HOME.

· If someone is coughing and/or sneezing, stay away from them. Virus particulates can fly ~6 feet.

· Drink plenty of fluids. Seek emergency medical attention for shortness of breath, etc.

· Stocking up on basic medical supplies and making sure all your prescriptions are refilled is a good idea. If you plan to get a surgical mask, N-95 is the most effective.

It’s better to be prepared and not need it, than to need them and not be prepared.

The Department of Health Services (DHS) is working closely with other Bay Area health departments, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to closely monitor the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Currently, the risk for being infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in the U.S. remains low.

The CDC has closely monitored an outbreak of coronavirus from China since early January and has declared a public health emergency for the US. The first reported instance of human-to-human spread was reported in the US on January 30. To date, there are 15 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States, eight of these are in California: two in Santa Clara County, two in San Benito County, one in Los Angeles County, one in Orange County and two in San Diego County.

On February 25th the Sonoma County Department of Health Services (DHS) confirmed one case of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) patient being treated at a hospital in the County.

The patient was transported to a Sonoma County hospital from Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, where some international travelers have been recently quarantined because of possible exposure to COVID-19. The patient tested positive for COVID-19, however they do not show any symptoms of the virus, such as fever and difficulty breathing.

The patient is among one of the recent US evacuees from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan, and is in the County receiving care to lessen the burden on the local health care system in the communities near the base. Sonoma County is not the only jurisdiction in the Bay Area to receive such COVID-19 patients from Travis Air Force Base.

The hospital and public health officials are working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to ensure the patients receive excellent care and that all procedures are followed to protect the community from COVID-19. The patient was not infected in Sonoma County.

Coronavirus Testing Now in California

County residents should contact their healthcare providers if they have symptoms such as fever and cough and had close contact with someone with symptoms who returned in the last 14 days from China. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that 16 laboratories, including the state's Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (VRDL) in Richmond will soon be able to perform testing for the novel coronavirus. This service will provide more rapid results

At this time, residents of the Bay Area are still at low risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, unless they have recently traveled to Wuhan or have come in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with novel coronavirus. The response to coronavirus is evolving quickly, and much is still unknown. However, we do know that other common cold and flu viruses are circulating in Sonoma County. We urge everyone to practice good hygiene such as washing hands frequently, not touching your eyes/face, coughing or sneezing into your sleeved elbow, and staying home when ill. If you have not received your flu shot yet, it’s not too late; annual flu shots are the best protection from flu, which still sickens and kills thousands of people in the U.S. every year.

For more information, go to the County of Sonoma coronavirus website here: https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Health/Information-About-Coronavirus/