Pasadena Identifies First Confirmed Case of Novel Coronavirus

The City of Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD) has confirmed the first case of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in a Pasadena resident.

The resident was known to have close contact with a confirmed case outside of Pasadena and has been in quarantine since the exposure occurred.

This individual is recovering and is being followed by PPHD.

To maintain patient confidentiality, the city is not releasing details about this individual.

This is not a case of community spread since the source can be traced.

Meanwhile, city officials also announced that laboratory results for the Caltech student confirmed the student is not ill with COVID-19. The student’s evaluation was unrelated to the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Pasadena.

The city’s health department said it is following up directly with those who have had close contact with the individual confirmed to have contracted the virus. Those individuals may be at risk for COVID-19 infection. They have been informed on how to assess and monitor for signs and symptoms of illness and are quarantined, the city said.

“We have been preparing and are ready to manage COVID-19 cases in Pasadena, in close coordination with our healthcare partners,” said Dr. Ying-Ying Goh, PPHD director and health officer. “We will continue to recommend our community implement individual and community mitigation measures to reduce the risk of spread of illness.”

As laboratory capacity for COVID-19 increases, there may be additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the community.

The World Health Organization officially proclaimed the Coronavirus a pandemic on Wednesday.