LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County’s Public Health officer told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the risk of coronavirus – which has impacted thousands of people in other parts of the world – remains low locally and in the United States in general.
Dr. Gary Pace went before the board to offer the brief update Tuesday morning.
“The coronavirus continues to spread over in Asia. There’s concern on the global front now, but in the United States it’s still quite contained,” Pace said.
Pace said there is a new case reported in the San Diego area, but that person also had been to China.
As of Tuesday, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States had reportedly risen to 13.
“The main point of this is that the risk here is low, the risk if you travel is low,” Pace said.
The highest risk individuals are being closely monitored by the federal government, Pace said. They are being prevented from entering the United States or, if they’re citizens who are at high risk for the illness, they’re being quarantined for 14 days.
Pace said there also is a group of people who have traveled to China who are not symptomatic and therefore considered medium risk. They are returning to their communities and being home-quarantined.
“There are none in Lake County as far as I know,” he said.
However, there is a large number of medium-risk individuals on self-quarantine in the Bay Area. He said those individuals are not going out in public.
The risk remains low in the United States, and Pace said there is a robust process of keeping health officers informed.
Pace said the Lake County Health Department is “quite involved” with state and federal experts on the coronavirus issue.
He said his department also is talking to partners in the county’s communities and schools, as well as to emergency medical services and different health care providers so they can be prepared.
Pace said they are set up as best they can be if cases of coronavirus do show up in Lake County.
“The flu is a lot bigger concern right now,” he said.
He said people should get flu shots and follow other good hygiene practices, including washing hands, covering their mouths after coughing and not going to work if they’re sick.
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
Public Health officer updates supervisors on coronavirus; local risk remains low
- Elizabeth Larson
- Posted On