First Coronavirus Related Death in California Reported Wednesday

Health officials in California announced Wednesday the state’s first Coronavirus death, raising the death toll to 11 in the United States.

The patient was an elderly adult with underlying health conditions, county officials said, adding that the person was the second confirmed COVID-19 case in the county and is now the first death related to the virus in the state.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of this patient,” Placer County Health Officer Dr. Aimee Sisson said in a statement. “While we have expected more cases, this death is an unfortunate milestone in our efforts to fight this disease, and one that we never wanted to see.”

More than 3,000 people have died from the virus worldwide and at least 35 million people have been quarantined since the virus broke out in China in January.

The announcement came hours after Pasadena city officials declared a public health emergency as the cases in California have started to increase.

“As the city of Pasadena Health Officer, I will be declaring, later this morning, a Public Health Emergency for the City of Pasadena,” said Pasadena Health Director Ying Ying Goh at a press conference Wednesday morning.

“There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pasadena,” Goh said. “This declaration is part of an ongoing response, and will empower the city to more effectively respond to COVID-19 and prepare for community spread of the virus, maintain coordination with our partners, including the Los Angeles County and Long Beach Health Departments, seek and utilize mutual aid, potentially obtain reimbursement, and ensure that the City’s health professionals and other local stakeholders have all the necessary tools at their disposal.

“We are working in partnership with city staff across departments, local healthcare providers, and county, state and federal agencies, daily. We have confidence in our community’s medical system of care, and in our partnership with our healthcare providers.”

According to reports, there are now at least seven cases of the virus in Southern California, as six new cases of the disease were revealed in the county in the last 48 hours.

The city of Pasadena is one of only three cities in the state of California that maintains its own independent local health jurisdiction. In addition to providing the full range of essential public health services, the Health Department also serves as the Health Strategy Catalyst for achieving our vision of everyone thriving in communities designed for health and well-being.

Los Angeles County declared an emergency as six new cases were reported.

“The Pasadena Unified School District will continue to work closely with Pasadena Public Health in a coordinated effort to address the many issues that COVID-19 presents,” said Superintendent Brian McDonalds. “PUSD is updating protocols and preparing plans for virtual learning in the event of a prolonged emergency of any kind, including COVID-19.

The well-being of PUSD students and staff is our top priority. Our Health Programs personnel will remain in constant ongoing communication with Public Health to stay current on all of the many developing aspects of the flu and COVID-19.”

Locally customers have raided local stores buying out hand sanitizer and face masks. Water and toilet paper is also scarce in some stores.

“We are not overwhelmed at a local level,” said City Spokesperson Lisa Derderian. “We are just preparing for what could happen. It’s, it’s a process we go through and we are marrying what our partners in LA County and Long Beach are also doing. We’re fortunate to have our own health department, but we want to work in coordination with other health departments in Long Beach and LA County.”

According to Governor Gavin Newsom the California Department of Health has been given the green light to utilize 21 million of its N95 respiratory face masks for medical workers. The approval for the go ahead was given by the CDC and the National Institute of Occupational Safety.

As of today the US death toll from the coronavirus has hit 9. All within Washington state. Five of which were elderly patients in a nursing home, some of which had preexisting conditions which left them more vulnerable to the virus.

At present time there are approximately 159 cases of the COVID-19 virus reported throughout the United States.