1st Coronavirus Patient Confirmed In Los Angeles County

LOS ANGELES, CA — Health officials confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Los Angeles County Sunday.

"The infected person presented themselves for care once they noticed that they were not feeling well and is currently receiving medical treatment," according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. "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 if they do not have symptoms of respiratory illness."

The patient is a returning traveler from Wuhan City, China.

On Saturday, the Orange County Health Care Agency confirmed a case of coronavirus after a traveler from Wuhan, China -- ground zero for the deadly disease -- tested positive.

The two Southland cases are the only confirmed cases in California so far, and two of the only four in the United States. The other U.S. cases were reported in Illinois and Washington state.

The outbreak was first noted in late December in the industrial city of Wuhan in the Hubei province of central China. Since then, more than 2,000 cases have been reported in China, with at least 56 deaths.

The CDC's guidance indicates people who have casual contact with a case -- "in the same grocery store or movie theater" -- are at "minimal risk of developing infection."

For general information about novel coronavirus, go to www.cdc.gov.

—City News Service

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