Health officials confirm new case of novel coronavirus in Northern California

KGO logo
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Santa Clara County Health Department confirms its 4th case of novel coronavirus
A new case of the novel coronavirus in Santa Clara County was confirmed by health officials Saturday. The county's health department says this is their fourth case.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Calif. -- Health officials confirmed a new case of novel coronavirus in Northern California on Saturday.

The new case was confirmed in Santa Clara County. The county's health department says this is their fourth case.

RELATED: Coronavirus outbreak: Additional COVID-19 cases confirmed in 2 Bay Area counties, officials say

The patient is an adult woman who is a household contact of the third Santa Clara County case, and is "not hospitalized or ill," officials said.

Here is part of the statement from the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department:

"We expected more cases of COVID-19 in our county and have been preparing for community transmission. Since the disease is here, an important priority for the department will be to conduct community surveillance to determine the extent of local spread. The County Public Health Laboratory has the ability to test for the virus and can identify cases quickly and take appropriate action. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is also working closely with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of California Department of Public Health, and other partners to protect and inform the public."

RELATED: Coronavirus: From hand-washing to wearing masks, here's how to protect yourself

Gov. Gavin Newsom says the state only has about 200 testing kits left. The CDC is pledging to get more tests to California soon.