On Friday, January 24th, the Del Norte Public Health Department became aware of social media Facebook postings of “positive coronavirus at Sutter Coast Hospital in Crescent City”.
Coronaviruses come in all shapes and types and swab testing of the throat or the nose that is done in an office and in the ER can include testing for coronaviruses as they are often the source of respiratory infection. These tests, however, are NOT testing for the new coronavirus infection that began in China and has been in the news over the last week. The only place that is testing for the new virus in the United States is at the Centers for Disease Control.
There have been no patients at Sutter Coast Hospital that have or are being evaluated for the new virus. There may be many patients in the community who have been tested for other kinds of coronavirus this flu season, and some may have tested positive, but that is to be expected during the heart of the cold and flu season.
Please keep in mind that a positive test on a routine swab for coronavirus is only testing for known coronaviruses, NOT the new coronavirus. “Few cases have been reported in the entire country and our community is unlikely to see cases of the virus anytime soon,” said Del Norte County Public Health Officer Dr. Warren Rehwaldt.
