Paso Robles woman awaits release from COVID-19 quarantine
Sarah Arana of Paso Robles
–Paso Robles health worker Sarah Arana marked 10 days under quarantine at Travis Air Force Base on Wednesday. She is looking forward to being released soon. “As of right now we’re scheduled to be released March 3,” she said in an interview. Officials told her “there is no intention of extending the quarantine,” at this time.
After spending 12 days on the Diamond Princess cruise line, a COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak caused another 12 days aboard the ship under quarantine in Yokohama, Japan. On Feb. 17, US officials evacuated her and over 100 Americans to the Air Force base near Fairfield, Calif.
In quarantine at the base, she has kept busy with art projects, walks, and reading, while being monitored by the US Centers for Disease Control and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
“I am good! I feel great, I have followed every single protocol, I was also extremely diligent on the ship, and I’m basically doing everything that I’m told to do and I’m excited about coming home,” Arana says.
“I am so ready to come home. This is obviously been very exciting, more so than I bargained for, and quite the adventure. I have no regrets. This was the experience of a lifetime, and it was fascinating to see all these agencies coordinating together from the inside. But yes, I am very ready to come home see my family get back to work and just basically get back to my regular routine.”
A few Americans under quarantine at the base tested positive for the virus in the last week. “A third patient from Travis Air Force Base in a Contra Costa hospital has tested positive for COVID-19,” the Contra Costa County Health Department reports. “Patient was transferred last week to a local hospital, which has been following CDC safety protocols to protect patients & medical staff.”
On Wednesday, officials reported the first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the US. The patient was admitted on Feb. 19 to UC Davis Medical Center, but was not tested for the virus until Sunday.
“Today we learned a patient we are treating here at UC Davis Medical Center for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is being investigated by the CDC as possibly the first patient to have received the infection from exposure in the community,” a statement from the medical center said.
“Upon admission, our team asked public health officials if this case could be COVID-19. We requested COVID-19 testing by the CDC, since neither Sacramento County nor CDPH is doing testing for coronavirus at this time. Since the patient did not fit the existing CDC criteria for COVID-19, a test was not immediately administered. UC Davis Health does not control the testing process,” the statement said.
“This is not the first COVID-19 patient we have treated, and because of the precautions we have had in place since this patient’s arrival, we believe there has been minimal potential for exposure here at UC Davis Medical Center,” the statement said.
The CDC warned Americans on Wednesday to prepare for the virus to spread in the US. “Now is the time for businesses, hospitals, community schools, and everyday people to begin preparing,” CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
“Ultimately, we expect we will see community spread in this country,” he said. “It’s not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness.”
“During an outbreak with a new virus, there is a lot of uncertainty,” Haynes said. “Our guidance and advice are likely to be fluid subject to change as we learn more. We will continue to keep you updated.”
Click here to read CDC’s current recommendations.
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