by Alyssa Sun         On February 20th, 2020, the Santa Clara Public Health Department (SCPHD) reported the first person who contracted coronavirus in Santa Clara County has recovered and has been released from quarantine. The adult male had recently traveled to Wuhan, China, and his case was first discovered on January 31st. At the time of his appearance, no other information was given other than his gender, age group, and the alert of the virus. He was quarantined at home throughout the time he was infected.

After almost three weeks of monitored recovery, the SCPHD declared the patient free of the coronavirus and released him from isolation. The Public Health Department said that “he was never sick enough to be hospitalized.” As a result, he was quarantined in his house and monitored by the public health staff for the duration. While the man has recovered from the virus, another infected individual is still recovering.

This patient, an adult female, with no relation to the first case, arrived on January 23 from Wuhan, China to spend time with her family. As a result, she and her family have all been quarantined.

As of the moment, there have not been any traces of the coronavirus circulating within Santa Clara County, and the chance for it remains low. However, the US Centers for Disease Prevention and Control are preparing for an epidemic and are constantly posting updates on the CDC website. Travelers have been warned to avoid all trips to South Korea and China, places that have been marked with Level 3 Warnings. Iran, Italy, and Japan have been issued Level 2 Alerts, where the virus can be easily found. Hong Kong is a Level 1 Watch destination, and citizens are recommended to cancel trips until the cure or vaccine has been found. 

The coronavirus is still without a cure, and people have only recovered due to their immune systems. With this, more than 80 clinics, research facilities, have been trying to find a cure as the virus spreads more.

Bibliography:

Taylor, Adam, et al. “Live Updates: Coronavirus Pummels Asian Financial Markets as Deadly Outbreak Rages.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 28 Feb. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/02/28/coronavirus-live-updates/.

“COVID-19 Information for Travelers.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2020, www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html.

“Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).” Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) – Public Health Department – County of Santa Clara, www.sccgov.org/sites/phd/DiseaseInformation/novel-coronavirus/Pages/home.aspx.
Allday, Erin, and Lauren Hernández. “Santa Clara County Man Tests Positive for New Coronavirus.” SFChronicle.com, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 Jan. 2020, www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Santa-Clara-County-resident-tests-positive-for-15020741.php.

Santa Clara University. “Health Advisory Alert: COVID-19.” Health Advisory Alert: COVID-19 – Cowell Center – Santa Clara University, 27 Feb. 2020, www.scu.edu/cowell/health-advisory-alert-covid-19/.

Maxmen, Amy. “More than 80 Clinical Trials Launch to Test Coronavirus Treatments.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 15 Feb. 2020, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00444-3.

Photo credit: http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Santa-Clara-County-resident-tests-positive-for-15020741.php.

Dr. Sara Cody, head of the Santa Clara Public Health Department, holding a press conference on the situation of the coronavirus on Jan 31, 2020