South Bay Health Officials Refine Response As Coronavirus Spreads
SAN JOSE (CBS SF) -- Santa Clara County this week reported its third confirmed case of COVID-19, otherwise known as novel coronavirus, in a county resident described as "an older adult woman" who was first hospitalized with respiratory troubles, public health officials told reporters Friday.
This third case has changed the way the county's Public Health Department is handling the spread of the virus, Dr. Sara Cody, the county's public health director, said Friday. The county has enlisted and received state and federal help to curb further spread of the disease.
"This is the third case to be identified in our county but it's different from our other two cases in an important way," Cody said Friday.
The newly infected woman was not in known contact with any recently travelers or infected persons and did not recently travel herself, health officials said.
"This case does signal to us that it's now time to shift how we respond to the novel coronavirus," Cody said. "The public health measures that we've taken so far -- isolation, quarantine, contact tracing and travel restrictions -- have helped to slow the spread of disease, and we will continue to implement them. We will continue to trace close contacts of our cases to try to limit the spread of the virus, but now we need to add other public health tools to the mix."
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COMPLETE COVERAGE: CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
The county is encouraging residents to keep their hands clean, try not to touch their faces and stay home when sick.
To help reduce the possible spread, schools should make plans.
"We go to Santa Clara University and, apparently, they have plans in place that if the coronavirus spreads to our campus that we would all just take online classes instead of going to actual classrooms," said student Madeline Bragg.
Companies should think about more flexible policies that may involve video conferencing and working from home.
"It's an option. I'm not necessarily just going to sequester myself at home until or unless it becomes necessary but it is an option," said Brent Ingler of San Jose who works for a large technology company in Silicon Valley.
Dr. Christopher Braden, deputy director at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, said the virus can remain on a surface for several days but is susceptible to most hygiene products like gel hand sanitizers.
The county on Feb. 10 declared a state of public health emergency, which mobilized further state and federal resources to aid stopping the virus's spread.
Charity Dean, deputy director of the California Department of Public Health, said the state has received additional COVID-19 testing kits, which were being distributed to testing centers throughout the state, including centers in Richmond, in Santa Clara County, Orange County and San Diego.
Dr. Jim Novak, chief business officer of the Santa Clara County Office of Education said parents, children and school personnel should continue to wash their hands and follow the guidelines of the public health department, which includes staying home from school if they feel sick.
"I know a lot of times we really want kids to come to school, but when they're not feeling well, they should stay home at that time -- even if they're feeling pressured to come to school for a test or something, if they're not feeling well, we encourage them to stay home at that time," Novak said. "At this point, we're not recommending schools close or anything like that, but we're monitoring the situation all the time."
He said the county's school districts are monitoring students absences and the Office of Education is discussing what might happen in the event of possible school closures, "but we're too early to have any real plans."
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna said in a statement Friday that his office is in contact with local health officials and will monitor the developing viral situation, and added that the public needs a vaccine and free testing options for the public.
"Nothing is more important than the health and safety of the entire Bay Area community," Khanna said. "Our country has the minds and talent to beat this epidemic before it gets any worse. We need to mobilize $15 billion to push for widespread, free testing available to all Americans (and) research for a vaccine and anti-viral treaments. Politicians need to listen to the scientists and doctors."
At a Costco in San Jose Friday night, Johnny Nguyen bought a cartful of water and other supplies after hearing news of the possibility of widespread community transmission.
"So I got the basic meds to cure the common cold, according to what some of the doctors are saying, because it acts like a common cold, so I got Tylenol, some of the hydration water stuff," Nguyen said.
He wasn't alone. Many shoppers rolled out the door with carts of basic necessities. Experts say the threat of the coronavirus could empty shelves in the coming weeks.
© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. KPIX 5's Betty Yu and Bay City News contributed to this report
