Placer County reports 3 new cases of coronavirus, all tied to Grand Princess cruise ship
Public health officials in Placer County announced Friday that three residents who had traveled on the Grand Princess cruise ship from San Francisco to Mexico last month have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Earlier this week, Placer Public Health Officer Aimee Sisson reported that an elderly county resident who had traveled aboard that same ship had died while being treated for an infection with the new coronavirus. The county has now reported five cases.
“We are moving as quickly as possible to limit the spread of disease,” Sisson said. “To be frank, we would not be surprised to see a second wave of cases connected to these cruise passengers given the amount of time that’s passed since they disembarked.”
Placer County said it’s in the initial stages of its investigations and is trying to identify and isolate as many of them as possible. On Wednesday, Sisson said, the cruise ship company provided the county a list of passengers from that area, and all of them have been told to isolate themselves at home.
Two of the individuals had mild symptoms that went away, and the third is currently having mild symptoms, she said.
Coronavirus is spread through contact between people within six feet of each other, especially through coughing and sneezing that expels respiratory droplets that land in the mouths or noses of people nearby. The CDC says it’s possible to catch the disease COVID-19 by touching something that has the virus on it, and then touching your own face, “but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.”
Symptoms of the virus that causes COVID-19 include fever, cough and shortness of breath, which may occur two days to two weeks after exposure. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal. The disease is especially dangerous to the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
So far, more than 100,000 cases have been reported worldwide, with about 3,300 deaths, the vast majority of them in China. In the U.S., 260 cases have been reported, including 14 deaths in Washington state out of 70 confirmed cases. In California, the first death was reported Wednesday, with roughly 70 positive tests reported.
This story was originally published March 6, 2020 at 12:49 PM.
