Health officials confirm 3 mystery cases of virus in California, Oregon; stocks close worst week since ’08
SAN JOSE — Health officials have confirmed the second case of novel coronavirus in the United States believed to have been transmitted to a person who didn’t travel internationally or come in close contact with anyone who had it.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that officials are “aware of a second possible instance of community spread of COVID-19 in California.” The CDC said in a statement that the patient has tested positive for the virus.
Health officials in San Jose said the patient was an older adult woman with chronic health conditions who does not have a travel history or any known contact with a traveler or infected person. It comes a day after state officials said a woman hospitalized at UC Davis Health Center in Sacramento had contracted the illness after no known contact.
“This new case indicates that there is evidence of community transmission, but the extent is still not clear,” said Dr. Sara Cody, Director of the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department.
Solano County Public Health Officer Dr. Bela Matyas said public health officials have identified dozens of people, but less than 100, who had close contact with the woman.
First case in Oregon
SALEM, Ore. — Oregon’s first corinavirus case emerged on Friday, and the infected person worked at an elementary school in the Portland area, which will be temporarily closed, authorities said.
“The case was not a person under monitoring or a person under investigation. The individual had neither a history of travel to a country where the virus was circulating, nor is believed to have had a close contact with another confirmed case — the two most common sources of exposure,” the Oregon Health Authority said in a statement.
Nearly 60 countries with cases
The list of countries touched by the illness climbed to nearly 60 as Mexico, Belarus, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Iceland and the Netherlands reported their first cases. More than 83,000 people worldwide have contracted the illness, with deaths topping 2,800.
China, where the outbreak began in December, has seen a slowdown in new infections and on Saturday morning reported 427 new cases over the past 24 hours along with 47 additional deaths.
With the number of discharged patients now greatly exceeding those of new arrivals, the city of Wuhan, at the epicenter of the outbreak, now has more than 5,000 spare beds in 16 temporary treatment centers, officials said..
South Korea, the second-hardest-hit country, on Saturday morning reported 594 new cases, the highest daily jump since confirming its first patient in late January. Clusters in Italy and in Iran, which has had 34 deaths, have led to infections of people in other countries.