Sacramento County Public Health is closely monitoring the outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus, now named "Covid-19.".
Currently, there are no confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Sacramento County, and the exposure risk of Covid-19 remains low.
Working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the California Department of Public Health and the local medical community, Sacramento County Public Health has a plan in place to identify, isolate, test and investigate any potential cases of Covid-19 in Sacramento County.
Sacramento County Health Officer, Dr. Olivia Kasirye, reminds residents, “Currently the risk of exposure to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) is low. Community healthcare providers are monitoring for acute respiratory illness cases and gathering recent travel information for specimen testing per CDC guidance. Like we do for other reportable communicable diseases, we are prepared and are conducting surveillance on this new virus strain.”
Not all “Coronaviruses” are the same
Don’t confuse the category of “coronaviruses” with the strain named “2019 Novel Coronavirus.” The Covid-19 is just one type of coronavirus. Other strains of human coronaviruses are common and cause mild-to-moderate respiratory illness every year, such as the common cold. If you see the term “Coronavirus” on your lab results, this is NOT the Covid-19 strain, as this testing is only done by the CDC and would be coordinated by Sacramento County Public Health. Additionally, Sacramento County Public Health would announce a confirmed Covid-19 cases in Sacramento County.
Symptoms of Covid-19 are very similar to the flu, including runny nose, headache, cough, sore throat, fever and shortness of breath.
To help prevent the spread of Covid-19, practice every day preventative actions:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- People experiencing worsening flu symptoms should seek medical attention – call ahead if recently traveled to China or have had contact with a person with confirmed Covid-19 while they were ill.
While the Covid-19 is concerning, what poses a much greater and more imminent risk in our community is the flu virus. According to the CDC, the flu virus caused roughly 61,000 flu deaths in the U.S. in the 2017-18 season.
