Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday held a press conference to discuss how the State of California is preparing – and has prepared — to handle cases of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Newsom said 33 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in California. The state also is monitoring 8,400 people who may have been exposed to the virus. The governor said California is working closely with both local and federal agencies – including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – to have the right processes and protocols in place to protect Californians.
Dr. Sonia Y. Angell, California Department of Public Health director and state health officer also spoke at the press conference. “This is a fluid situation right now and I want to emphasize the risk to the American public remains low,” Angell said. “There have been a limited number of confirmed cases to date.”
Thursday’s press event followed reports that a Solano County resident is being treated for the coronavirus at UC Davis Medical Center. “This case is being investigated by the CDC as possibly the first patient with no known exposure to the virus through travel or close contact with a known infected individual,” UC Davis officials said in a statement.
On a local level, the City of Sacramento continues to monitor the situation closely and is in continuous contact with County of Sacramento as well as State of California officials, said Daniel Bowers, director of the City’s Office of Emergency Management.
While Sacramento County Public Health is the agency responsible for communicable disease affecting the public in Sacramento, it’s worth noting that the City’s Office of Emergency Management initiated preparedness-and-response actions several weeks ago in anticipation of potential scenarios.
“For example, the City’s Office of Emergency Management has prepared our first responders and certain field staff with protective equipment and training in order to best service our community,” Bowers said.
In addition, the City is boosting the availability of hygiene supplies at all city facilities including customer-service counters, security kiosks and primary entry-and-exit ways, Bowers said. There also will be increased disinfection of often-touched areas and materials, including door handles and elevator buttons.
Over the past few weeks, the City of Sacramento has responded to requests for support from regional hospitals, Bowers said. UC Davis Medical Center, Sutter Medical Center Sacramento and Yolo County hospitals were supplied personal protective equipment from the City to help mitigate regional spread of influenza and potential COVID-19 cases.
There have been no confirmed deaths related to COVID-19 in the United States. The CDC is stressing that the immediate risk to the public remains low and has issued these simple instructions on how people can stay as healthy as possible:
