On Sunday, January 26, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) confirmed the county’s only case of an individual infected with the coronavirus. The infected person was a traveler from Wuhan City, China, who sought care at Los Angeles International Airport when they noticed they were not feeling well, at which time they were isolated and taken for medical treatment. There is no immediate threat to the general public, no special precautions are required, and people should not be excluded from activities based on their race, country of origin, or recent travel.
Los Angeles County residents, students, workers, and visitors should continue to engage in regular activities and practice good public health hygiene, especially as it is the height of flu season across the County.
The City is receiving regular updates from LADPH, which is working closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal, state, and local agencies to monitor the situation. As this is a rapidly evolving situation, new information is still being updated and be will shared when it becomes available. LADPH would like to highlight that the risk of the virus spreading and an outbreak occurring is very low. The department is also well trained and prepared for the event of an outbreak.
Important information to remember:
- Please practice good healthy hygiene. If you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or sleeve (not your hands). Afterwards, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer if soap and water is not available.
- If you are feeling sick and develop flu-like symptoms, please call your health-care provider to discuss your symptoms.
- Novel Coronavirus symptoms include: fever, cough, respiratory problems, and severe illness
- Remember, even if you may have these symptoms (which are very similar to the flu), if you or someone you know have not traveled to and from Wuhan City, China or have not had direct contact with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of the virus, there is a very low chance of infection with the novel coronavirus.
For more information and details regarding the circumstance, refer to http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/Coronavirus/ (Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Website) or https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/ (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website)
LADPH also has frequently asked questions (in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Korean), press releases, and more information.
You can also follow the county’s public health Twitter and Facebook for more updates and information: https://twitter.com/lapublichealth ; https://www.facebook.com/lapublichealth
To keep up with cases of Coronavirus, please click on the following link for a live map from the CDC and John Hopkins University: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6