IMMUNIZATION BRANCH

Coronavirus Disease 2019
(COVID-19)

En Español: Para obtener información en español, visite nuestra página de el Novedoso Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

California is issuing daily updates on COVID-19. See the most recent update on the CDPH News Release page.

California is responding to the spread of a respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Cases of COVID-19 are also being reported internationally and in the United States. California is actively working with the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local governments, health facilities, and health care providers across the state to prepare and protect Californians from COVID-19.

COVID-19 in California by the Numbers:

As of March 11, 2020, 7 a.m. Pacific Time, there are a total of 177 CACommunityTransmissionbyCounty03 positive cases and three deaths in California: 24 cases are from repatriation flights.

The other 153 confirmed cases include 55 that are travel related, 40 due to person-to-person transmission, 32 are community acquired (map of community transmission by county in California- PDF) and 26 are from unknown sources. Of all the confirmed positive cases:

Age 0 – 17: 3 cases
Age 18 – 64: 104 cases
Age 65+: 67 cases
Unknown: 26 cases

Approximately 11,000 people are self-monitoring, across 49 local health jurisdictions, after returning to the U.S. from travel.

Eighteen public health labs in California are testing for COVID-19. These labs include the California Department of Public Health's Laboratory in Richmond, Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Monterey, Napa-Solano-Yolo-Marin (located in Solano), Orange, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Shasta, Sonoma, Tulare and Ventura County public health laboratories. The Richmond Laboratory will provide diagnostic testing within a 48-hour turnaround time. More public health labs will soon be able to test for COVID-19. This means California public health officials will get test results sooner, so that patients will get the best care.

How can people protect themselves?

Every person has a role to play. So much of protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense:

Washing hands with soap and water.
Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow.
Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.
Following guidance from public health officials.

Who is at Higher Risk for Serious Illness from COVID-19?

Early information out of China, where COVID-19 first started, shows that some people are at higher risk of getting very sick from this illness. This includes:

Older adults
Individuals with compromised immune systems
Individuals who have serious chronic medical conditions like:

Heart disease
Diabetes
Lung disease

If you are at higher risk for serious illness from COVID-19 because of your age or health condition, it is important for you to take actions to reduce your risk of getting sick with the disease, including:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, or having been in a public place.
Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick, and stay away from large gatherings and crowds.
Stay home as much as possible. Consider ways of getting food brought to your house through family, social, or commercial networks.

It is also important that you listen to public health officials who may recommend community actions to reduce potential exposure to COVID-19, especially if COVID-19 is spreading in your community.

For more information visit the CDC's website.

What should you do if you think you're sick?

Call ahead: If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19 or recently traveled to countries with apparent community spread, call your health care provider or local public health department first before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken.

What is Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are common among animals and humans. This novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is a newly discovered coronavirus that has not been previously detected in animals or humans. The source of this virus is not yet known.

What are the symptoms of COVID-19?

Typically, human coronaviruses cause mild-to-moderate respiratory illness. Symptoms are very similar to the flu, including:

Fever
Cough
Shortness of breath

COVID-19 can cause more severe respiratory illness.

What is the treatment for COVID-19?

From the international data we have, of those who have tested positive for COVID-19, approximately 80 percent do not exhibit symptoms that would require hospitalization. For patients who are more severely ill, hospitals can provide supportive care. We are continuing to learn more about this novel coronavirus and treatment may change over time.

How is it decided whether a person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 can self-isolate at home or must be confined to a hospital or elsewhere?

Local health departments are working in partnership with the California Department of Public Health and the CDC, and making determinations on whether a person ill with COVID-19 requires hospitalization or if home isolation is appropriate. That decision may be based on multiple factors including severity of illness, need for testing, and appropriateness of home for isolation purposes.

What is the difference between COVID-19 and other coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. There are some coronaviruses that commonly circulate in humans. These viruses cause mild to moderate respiratory illness, although rarely they can cause severe disease. COVID-19 is closely related to two other animal coronaviruses that have caused outbreaks in people—the SARS coronavirus and the MERS (middle east respiratory syndrome) coronavirus.

Is California able to test for COVID-19?

Should public events be cancelled?

The best prevention against COVID-19 remains taking regular health precautions such as covering your mouth with a tissue or your elbow if you sneeze or cough, washing your hands with soap and water, and staying home if you are sick. The health risk from COVID-19 to the general public remains low at this time. However, this is a quickly evolving situation. Just as with other infectious diseases, not all parts of our state are affected equally at the same time (map of community transmission by county in California- PDF). State and county public health officials are continuously assessing the situation and will alert the community as the situation changes.

The California Department of Public Health is encouraging Californians who are at higher risk from COVID-19 to take actions to reduce their risk. This includes older adults, individuals with compromised immune systems, and individuals who have serious chronic medical conditions. Californians who are at higher risk for COVID-19 should avoid close contact with people who are sick and stay away from large gatherings and crowds. We are encouraging these populations to stay home as much as possible. More information on actions you can take to reduce your risk is available.

Guidance for large events (PDF) is available.

A complete list of guidance is available.

Should I wear a mask?

The California Department of Public Health, along with the CDC, does not recommend that healthy people wear masks at this time. However, masks are recommended to limit the spread of disease for people who are exhibiting respiratory symptoms.

What if I have symptoms?

Patient: If a person develops symptoms of COVID-19 including fever, cough or shortness of breath, and has reason to believe they may have been exposed, they should call their health care provider or local health department before seeking care. Contacting them in advance will make sure that people can get the care they need without putting others at risk. Please be sure to tell your health care provider about your travel history. You can also take the following precautionary measures: avoid contact with sick individuals, wash hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.

Health Care Provider: Patients who may have infection with this novel coronavirus should wear a surgical mask and be placed in an airborne infection isolation room. If an airborne infection isolation room is not available, the patient should be placed in a private room with the door closed. Health care providers should use standard, contact and airborne precautions and use eye protection. Please see "Update and Interim Guidance on Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China" for more information about infection control. The Public Health Department will issue All Facility Letters to regulated healthcare facilities within California with updated information and guidance; these can be found on the AFL webpage.

What should I do if I am unable to work after being exposed to COVID-19?

Individuals who are unable to work due to having or being exposed to COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) can file a Disability Insurance (DI) claim.

Disability Insurance provides short-term benefit payments to eligible workers who have full or partial loss of wages due to a non-work-related illness, injury, or pregnancy. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50 - $1,300 a week.

Californians who are unable to work because they are caring for an ill or quarantined family member with COVID-19 (certified by a medical professional) can file a Paid Family Leave (PFL) claim.

Paid Family Leave provides up to six weeks of benefit payments to eligibile workers who have a full or partial loss of wages because they need time off work to care for a seriously ill family member or to bond with a new child. Benefit amounts are approximately 60-70 percent of wages (depending on income) and range from $50-$1,300 a week.

What is the state doing to protect our health?

California has been actively and extensively planning with our local public health and health care delivery systems. Here are some of the things we are already doing:

As in any public health event, the California Department of Public Health's Medical and Health Coordination Center has been activated and is coordinating public health response efforts across the state.
California continues to prepare and respond in coordination with federal and local partners, hospitals and physicians.
Governor Newsom declared a State of Emergency to make additional resources available, formalize emergency actions already underway across multiple state agencies and departments, and help the state prepare for broader spread of COVID-19.
Governor Gavin Newsom requested the Legislature make up to $20 million available for state government to respond to the spread of COVID-19.
California activated the State Operations Center to its highest level to coordinate response efforts across the state.
24 million more Californians are now eligible for free medically necessary COVID-19 testing.
California made available some of its emergency planning reserves of 21 million N95 filtering face piece masks for use in certain health care settings to ease shortages of personal protective equipment.
The Public Health Department is providing information, guidance documents, and technical support to local health departments, health care facilities, providers, schools, universities, colleges, and childcare facilities across California
The California Employee Development Department (EDD) is encouraging individuals who are unable to work due to exposure to COVID-19 to file a Disability Insurance claim.
EDD is also encouraging employers who are experiencing a slowdown in their businesses or services as a result of the Coronavirus impact on the economy to apply for an Unemployment Insurance work sharing program.
The Public Health Department is coordinating with federal authorities and local health departments that have implemented screening, monitoring and, in some cases quarantine of returning travelers.
In coordination with the CDC, state and local health departments, we are actively responding to cases of COVID-19.
The Public Health Department is supporting hospitals and local public health laboratories in the collection of specimens and testing for COVID-19.

Eighteen public health labs in California, including the Department of Public Health's state laboratory in Richmond, are now testing for the virus that causes COVID-19.