A 53-year-old woman who had recently traveled to London in the United Kingdom tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19 to become the first confirmed case of the virus in San Bernardino County, county health officials said Sunday.
The woman presented herself at the Kaiser Permanente in Fontana on Thursday with symptoms consistent with the virus and Quest Diagnostics administered the test the same day, the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health said in a statement.
“We knew it was only a matter of time before we recorded our first case,” said Acting County Health Officer Dr. Erin Gustafson via the statement. “This does not change our level of readiness and alert because the county is in a state of emergency, we are prepared from a public health standpoint, and our residents, cities, businesses and other key communities have been informed about safe practices.”
“The health risk from COVID-19 to the general public in San Bernardino County remains low at this time, but everyone is strongly urged to engage in practices that reduce the risk of spread,” Gustafson said.
The County Public Health Officer and the Board of Supervisors declared a local health emergency on Tuesday, with the County Public Health Officer cancelling or postponing all gatherings of 250 or more people until further notice on Thursday.
The condition of the 53-year-old woman was not immediately available.
