A local public health emergency for Riverside County was declared Sunday by Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer, in the wake of the first case of locally acquired coronavirus.
The patient, who is not being identified because of confidentiality rules, had tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said late Saturday, and is being treated at Eisenhower Health in Rancho Mirage.
The community exposure to the patient was regarded as “low,” Kaiser said, and the patient has “no known connection to Riverside County schools,” based on current information.
Kaiser, speaking at a Sunday news conference at the hospital, said the declaration is subject to ratification by Riverside County Board of Supervisors at their Tuesday meeting. Health officials are working quickly to identify those who may have been exposed to the patient, he said.
“The context of the case matters,” he said, referring to the degree to which the declaration may affect people’s lives. Riverside County has an estimated population of more than 2.4 million people. The county is east of Los Angeles County, and ends at the Arizona border.
Kaiser and Eisenhower Health officials declined under privacy rules to give any details about the patient and his or her case, or where or when the patient may have been exposed to the virus. Kaiser said the investigation was still not complete.
“I’m not going to specifically answer where they have been, except that we believe the community exposure is low,” Kaiser said. “Long and short of it is, I don’t have any evidence that the exposure was wide-ranging, so go about your business, do what you would normally do,” and take the same precautions that are done during the flu season.
“It’s possible for life to still go on under a public health emergency declaration. And some events that are lower-risk may still be able to take place with appropriate precautions … some, however, may not. We will be looking at these on a case-by-case basis,” Kaiser said.
Among the events: the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which runs April 10-12 and April 17-19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, about 14 miles east of Rancho Mirage. As of Sunday, it was still on.
However, the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament at Indian Wells was cancelled Sunday because of coronavirus concerns. It’s the prime annual event of its kind on the West Coast. It was scheduled to run March 12-22.
At the hospital, patients who come in with respiratory complaints are being placed in isolation and are treated by staff wearing masks, gowns and gloves, said Michael Connors, an infection prevention specialist nurse at Eisenhower. Patients making appointments for any matter are screened to see if they possibly have been exposed to COVID-19, he said.
Because of those protocols, the patient identified with the illness was not exposed to other patients at the hospital, he said.
Testing at the hospital should be limited to those showing signs and symptoms, the first draft of inquiry that can take place by phone, he said. The hospital has set up a COVID-19 hotline at 760-837-8988 for people who believe they have symptoms.
“For the general public, we don’t want everyone thinking they need to come in and get tested,” Connors said. “People get very scared when these types of situations happen and want to be tested.”
Getting tested for the disease if it is not indicated “puts you into waiting rooms, potentially where you could be exposed to things. We don’t want people to panic. We want people to do the sensible things to protect themselves,” Connors said.
The public health emergency declaration Sunday makes it easier for Riverside County to collect funding made available by state or federal emergency declarations — California has made one, the federal government has not. Locally, the declaration enables the county to streamline the purchase of materials it needs to deal with COVID-19, said Jose Arballo Jr., a Riverside County public health spokesman.
“It also lets the community know we are taking the next step in the planning process,” Arballo said by phone Sunday.
On Friday night, officials announced that Murrieta Valley High School will be closed Monday as an employee is being tested for coronavirus, and 71 students have been instructed to “self-quarantine.”
The school will remain closed, and the campus will be disinfected, until the testing of the employee is completed, according to a district statement.
It appears to be the first school closure in Southern California.
The first case of confirmed coronavirus involving a Riverside County patient was a passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship who was expected to fully recover. The resident was at a Northern California medical facility, officials said Feb. 25.
