[Carla B. Hass]
(PLACERVILLE, CA) – El Dorado County officials announced today the second confirmed case of COVID- 19 in an El Dorado County resident.
The individual had traveled to the State of Washington where he is believed to have been exposed. Testing occurred in Placer County.
“His symptoms were mild, he self-isolated when he became symptomatic as health officials have been suggesting, and he has fully recovered,” said El Dorado County Public Health Officer, Dr. Nancy Williams. The individual had no underlying health issues and was not in the high risk category of 65 years old and above. To date, as of March 20 at 12:00 p.m. (noon), El Dorado County Public Health has received notification of COVID-19 test results for 68 El Dorado County residents, with 66 of those tests being negative and two tests being positive. Results are pending for at least 50 more tests that have been performed by healthcare providers at various healthcare facilities across the County over the last week.
“Since the State loosened testing requirements, and commercial laboratories started accepting COVID-19 tests, there has been a significant increase in testing completed by local healthcare providers,” said Williams. With the extremely high demand and the large number of tests being requested across California, laboratories are finding that it's taking longer (typically 5-7 days) to process tests for COVID-19 and provide the results of those tests.
“While testing is available, it’s still limited,” said Dr. Williams, “We want to ensure that those who really need the test are getting it. Not everyone who has respiratory symptoms needs to be tested for COVID-19. If you’re sick with a fever and respiratory systems, you may simply have the flu. Even if you have COVID-19, if you’re experiencing relatively mild symptoms, you often won't need to be tested and can just stay home and practice self-isolation until you’re well.”
