The first death from covid-19 in the state of California happened in Placer County as we learned Wednesday morning, and now it's being reported that the man who died was on the same cruise to Mexico as the Sonoma County case reported Monday.
The CDC is investigating multiple other potential cases linked to the Grand Princess cruise, which left San Francisco on February 11 and returned on February 21, after cruising to Mexico — and the CDC has issued directives to the cruise ship as well. The Princess cruise company issued a statement to currently sailing passengers Wednesday regarding the ship itself, which is now on another trip. "For those guests who sailed with us on our previous voyage and may have been exposed [to the virus], in an abundance of caution, the CDC requires you to remain in your stateroom until you have been contacted and cleared by our medical staff." They added that medical staff would be reaching out to onboard passengers individually.
Frighteningly, that ship is now set to dock back in SF on Thursday. Previously it had traveled to SF from Hawaii, arriving on February 11.
Meanwhile, there is apparently a "small cluster" of cases that is being investigated by the agency in Northern California related to this mid-February cruise. As the Chronicle reports, the patient who died in Placer County had only been given a presumptive positive diagnosis of covid-19 on Tuesday before he died. He was admitted to Kaiser Permanente Roseville and put in isolation on Friday, February 27 after arriving by ambulance. He reportedly had underlying health conditions.
Officials said that the man had "minimal community exposure" in the five days between his arrival back in San Francisco and his trip to the hospital.
Ten Kaiser healthcare workers and five EMTs are reportedly being monitored for symptoms.
Governor Gavin Newsom issued a statement of condolence to the man's family, and said, "This case demonstrates the need for continued local, state and federal partnership to identify and slow the spread of this virus. California is working around the clock to keep our communities safe, healthy and informed.”
Will the Grand Princess end up stuck in port in SF with hundreds of people on board? Will everyone be quickly evacuated to a quarantine facility?
Will the cruise industry ever recover after this virus panic ends?
Meanwhile, Senator Dianne Feinstein put out a statement via Twitter about her support for an $8 billion supplemental federal funding bill to "aggressively battle the coronavirus."
I strongly support the agreement to provide $7.8 billion in supplemental funding to aggressively battle the coronavirus. Just today, California saw its first coronavirus death in Placer County. My thoughts are with the friends and family of the victim. pic.twitter.com/i8HQgNHXNt
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) March 4, 2020