#Coronavirus #CDC #SanDiego #Outbreak
The new coronavirus, first detected in China, is causing a global outbreak of respiratory illnesses.
A possible case of Coronavirus is being investigated at a San Diego hospital, a County Health and Human Services Agency official confirmed Monday.
The patient who may have contracted the respiratory disease recently traveled through Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak, on their way to San Diego, according to HHSA Public Health Officer Dr. Wilma Wooten.
Cases in China have now surpassed 2,700, and at least 80 deaths have been reported as of Monday evening. Stateside, five have been hospitalized with confirmed cases of coronavirus: one in Washington, one in Illinois, one in Arizona, and two in Los Angeles and Orange counties, NBC News reported.
Dr. Wooten said there is a patient at a San Diego hospital who may have the virus, but officials won’t know for sure until test results return from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Tuesday. At this time, the name, age, or sex of the patient, or where they’re being treated are not being released.
HHSA officials were only contacted Sunday about the possible local case, Wooten said.
The two California cases appeared this weekend. With such close proximity to San Diego, Wooten said it's only a matter of time before a confirmed case appears here.
Wooten said the department has already started contacting people the patient may have come in contact with.
At this time, the name, age, or sex of the patient in San Diego has not been released by the HHSA.
Students at University of California San Diego were spotted strolling campus with breathing masks on as a precaution.
Student Yifei Zhang started wearing his mask after the confirmed cases in Los Angles and Orange counties. After hearing about the HHSA's investigation, Zhang told NBC 7 the mask would stay on.
"It makes me more concerned," Zhang said. "I'm probably going to keep wearing it just in case."
By Omari Fleming -nbcsandiego.com
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