SAN DIEGO — There are a lot of questions Friday morning regarding a possible case of COVID-19 in the South Bay. A person was being evaluated at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center and has been released.
Sharp Healthcare officials say a person under investigation for possible COVID-19 was discharged from Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Wednesday, but that person is under the supervision of county health officials. The health provider directed all additional questions to the San Diego County Health and Human Services agency.
As of Friday morning, there’s been no word from county health officials about the person’s quarantine status or how they might have become infected.
Three people are currently at UC San Diego Medical Center. Two tested positive for COVID-19 and one showed symptoms. They were on a flight from Wuhan, China to MCAS Miramar and were supposed to join the more than 200 others in quarantine on base until next week. Instead, they’re now in isolation at the hospital.
One person is in good condition, the other is fair, which usually means they are uncomfortable but will recover. The third person is showing symptoms of COVID-19, so doctors are still waiting on test results to confirm if they have the virus or not.
Doctors refused to talk about the patient's gender or specific symptoms. Doctors said in some cases patients who have COVID-19 or are showing symptoms would be okay recovering in isolation at home, but the U.S. is taking a cautious approach to preventing further spread.
"They are separated from all other patient care and we have no concerns for our patients or staff," said Randy Taplitz, Clinical Director of Infection Prevention at UC San Diego Health.
UC San Diego Health officials held a media conference on Thursday to update the public on the latest information.
Health officials in San Antonio, Texas, confirm a patient in quarantine has been diagnosed with COVID-19. That brings the number of infections in the U.S. to 15. In China, officials revised their diagnostic approach and now report nearly 64,000 cases, and close to 1,400 deaths.