A second person who was under quarantine at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar after being evacuated from China was confirmed Wednesday to have the deadly coronavirus.
UC San Diego Heath said the latest patient with a confirmed case is one of three being cared for in isolation rooms. Two have tested positive, while the third has developed symptoms that warrant further observation and testing.
The newly confirmed patient was one of 65 people aboard a State Department-chartered flight from China that arrived at Miramar on Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s the second coronavirus case in San Diego County and the 14th in the United States.
All three patients were reportedly doing well, and UC San Diego stressed that it has experience with infectious diseases that are “more virulent and deadlier than” than the new virus designated COVID-19.
“We are taking all necessary measures and precautions to minimize any potential exposures as we care for both potential and confirmed COVID-19 cases,” UC San Diego Health said in a statement. “Patients are treated in negative-pressure isolation rooms; health care providers in contact with these patients are trained to use appropriate personal protective equipment, such as gowns, gloves, fit-tested high-filtration respirators, and face shields or goggles.”
UC San Diego said there is “no exposure risk at any UC San Diego Health hospitals or clinics” and patients and visitors should visit the facilities as usual.
More than 1,000 deaths from coronavirus have been reported, all but two of them in China. Over 43,000 cases of the illness have been reported worldwide, the vast majority of them in China.