NORTH COAST, Calif. – On Friday Mendocino County’s health officer reported the fifth case of COVID-19 in Mendocino County, which she said was confirmed in a state prison inmate who was released there.
Dr. Noemi Doohan said the patient is a male between the ages of 19 and 34 years old, who although he’s tested positive is not showing symptoms.
The man is in isolation at home with a relative in the Ukiah Valley with active public health monitoring since Thursday, Doohan said.
Like the previous four cases, Doohan said this case is related to an exposure outside of Mendocino County and does not appear to indicate that community spread has occurred inside our county.
Mendocino County’s first four COVID-19 patients have fully recovered and are sheltering in place, according to Doohan’s report.
Doohan said the patient was released from a state correctional facility by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or CDCR, and was transported, untested, from that facility to Mendocino County in order to stay with a relative.
The individual has not shown symptoms and was directed by CDCR to self-isolate until the COVID-19 testing was done, Doohan said.
Doohan said Mendocino County Public Health was made aware of the man’s presence in the
county on Thursday morning, as soon as Sheriff Matt Kendall became aware.
The man was evaluated at a local primary care clinic within hours, and Public Health transported the COVID-19 test sample to the Public Health lab in Santa Rosa promptly, resulting in a positive test result within 24 hours, she said.
“The primary care clinic responded to this urgent need in an exemplary matter, and took proper precautions including using personal protective equipment while evaluating the individual,” Doohan’s statement on the case explained.
“It can be easy to let our guard down as sheltering in place seems to drag on, but this case is proof that we still need our county’s shelter-in-place order to protect us while we gain precious time to prepare for the threat of COVID-19 community spread arriving in the near future like it has in Sonoma County,” said Doohan. “Sheltering in place is not optional. We must continue to shelter in place while practicing social distancing, and wear face coverings while out in public for essential activities.”
Anyone in Mendocino County who is tested for COVID-19 must remain in isolation until further directed by their clinician who ordered the test under the blanket isolation and quarantine orders
released by Dr. Doohan on April 8.
Mendocino County health officer confirms fifth case of COVID-19
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