An adult male from Santa Clara County has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the Bay Area's first patient with the potentially deadly illness, according to the public health officials.
The Santa Clara County Public Health Department said Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the "adult male resident of the county tested positive" for the novel virus that has killed more than 200 people in China.
The man had traveled to Wuhan, the city at the center of the outbreak, Dr. Sara Cody said at a press conference.
The patient had "self-isolating at home and did not leave home at all except to seek medical care," Cody said.
He was seen by staff in a clinic and hospital, but was not sick enough to warrant hospitalization, Cody said.
"We do not have evidence to suggest that the novel coronavirus is circulating in the Bay Area, in Santa Clara County or really in Northern California," Cody said.
Officials are attempting to find people who have come into contact with the patient.
"Our preliminary investigation indicates that he came into contact with very few individuals," she said. "This one case does not change the risk to the public."
