More Testing Underway After Coronavirus Community Spread Detected in County

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(Update: Sunday evening a 2nd confirmed positive test for coronavirus believed to be caused by community spread was announced by Sonoma County, with details pending.)

At a noontime press conference Sunday, Sonoma County’s interim Public Health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase confirmed that additional “surveillance testing” of people with possible coronavirus symptoms will proceed across the county, in an effort to determine if additional coronavirus community spread is occuring.

The press conference, which was attended by county supervisors, was called to discuss the county’s first suspected case of community spread of the coronavirus. Tests confirmed that an employee at the Rohnert Park Health Center was infected with the virus, following the testing of some 60 individuals that began on Thursday. It is believed to be community spread because the worker had no contact with known infected individuals, or travel to high risk areas.

That test came back positive on Saturday, and the Health Department says the individual is in self quarantine, and does not require hospitalization. An additional person who may have been exposed is being tested, with the results have not been announced.

The Rohnert Park Health Center, a Petaluma Health Center facility, and county health officials say they are tracking other individuals who may have been exposed, and have begun contacting them to determine if they have any symptoms. The Rohnert Park Care Center is closed until Tuesday for cleaning and sanitizing.

Dr. Mase says the discovery of community spread was expected, and the county lab will now be checking in with doctors and private labs twice a week to track any new cases and also all tests that are done in the county.

Under new rules, doctors in the community can now order tests from commercial labs, bypassing the County Lab and CDC approval.

The Health Officer issued orders last week canceling large gatherings of 250 or more across the county, and tightening up rules to limit who can visit senior care centers. Both orders follow guidance issued by the State of California.