The woman who tested positive for the novel coronavirus after her death at a Pomona hospital on Monday, March 9, had been visiting a family in Walnut, officials have confirmed.
In a health alert shared to its website Thursday, the city of Walnut said the woman’s travel history included a stay at a residence there. Los Angeles County public health officials have said the woman, age 60, did not circulate around the community and stayed primarily at the residence. The family members of the patient are currently in quarantine, according to the city’s statement.
The city is coordinating with L.A. County public health officials to learn more about the woman’s stay in Walnut and her travel in the region.
The Walnut Valley Unified School District issued a statement Thursday that no student within the district lives at the residence where the woman had been staying. The district said it is coordinating with the county health department and that all schools remain open and on their regular schedules.
At a news conference Wednesday, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said the woman had an underlying medical condition and had traveled internationally, including a long layover in South Korea. The woman died shortly after she was hospitalized in full cardiac arrest, according to Ferrer and officials at the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. After her death, test results showed she tested positive for the new coronavirus.
COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms associated with the respiratory disease, which appear two-to-14 days after exposure, include fever, a cough and shortness of breath. While most people — including healthy young adults — will experience mild symptoms, the disease can be severe and even fatal for at-risk groups, such as the elderly and those with underlying health problems.
Meanwhile, in a statement Thursday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said it learned that three department personnel and other first-responders had been near the woman before she died Monday. The department said it immediately contacted those who had been potentially exposed to COVID-19 and, though none show symptoms of the virus, they have been sent home to follow self-quarantine procedures.
#LASD is deeply saddened by the passing of @CountyofLA's 1st confirmed Covid-19 victim & our thoughts are with the decedent’s loved ones. LASD is adapting to the challenges & we are aware that 3 LASD personnel &other 1st responders were affected: see full statement: pic.twitter.com/kmJW84UBJY
— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) March 12, 2020
In addition, five Los Angeles County firefighters have been quarantined, officials said Thursday.
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