Hospital Official: Local Coronavirus Rumors Untrue

Rumors to the contrary, a Huntington Hospital official told Pasadena Now that the hospital does not have a family under quarantine, nor did they transfer a patient to a hospital in Baldwin Hills that was showing all the symptoms of the novel coronavirus.

“To date, we have not had any patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus at Huntington Hospital, at any time,” said Dorey Hutson, manager of public relations and media.

Chinese officials have confirmed more than 6,000 cases of the mysterious virus which has now inflicted people who have never visited China is Japan, Germany, Vietnam and Taiwan, according to the New York Times.

The virus is spreading quickly, on Wednesday the World Health Organization reported 6,065 cases worldwide, all but 68 of them in China. On Tuesday, there 4,593 cases. So far, 132 people have died from the virus.

There is at least one patient in Los Angeles County.

The virus has caused of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. Early on, many of the patients in the outbreak in Wuhan, China reportedly had some link to a large seafood and animal market, suggesting animal-to-person spread. However, a growing number of patients reportedly have not had exposure to animal markets, indicating person-to-person spread is occurring.

“There is a lot we don’t know about the novel coronavirus yet, such as how sick it makes people and how infectious it is,” said Public Health Director Ying-Ying Goh.

“Part of the reason for high alert is because of what we don’t know yet, and because of experiences with SARS and MERS. Because the virus is new to humans, we presume that we don’t have immunity to it. We don’t have a vaccine for it yet.”

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) and District 6 Councilman Steve Madison sent out emails on Wednesday, informing constituents about the virus.

“I care about the health of our families and communities. That is why, with the news of confirmed coronavirus cases within Los Angeles County, I’d like to share some timely resources on how to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy,” the email from Chu reads. “The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) considers the coronavirus to be a serious public health threat. It is important that you are aware of the disease and the efforts necessary to prevent its spread.”

There is currently no vaccine to fight this strain of coronavirus. However, below are steps you can take to keep you and your loved ones safe and healthy:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water, avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, avoid close contact with people who are sick, wear a face mask and get a flu shot, if you have not.