Snohomish County coronavirus patient discharged from hospital
Feb 3, 2020, 2:00 PM
Dr. Scott Lindquist, Washington state epidemiologist for communicable disease, speaks during a press conference about the first confirmed U.S. case of a virus known as the 2019 novel coronavirus at the state Public Health Laboratories on January 21, 2020 in Shoreline, Washington. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
A Snohomish County man recently diagnosed with novel coronavirus has been discharged from Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett.
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“I am at home and continuing to get better,” the man said in a news release. “I ask that the media please respect my privacy and my desire not to be in the public eye. I would like to thank the doctors, nurses, and entire team at Providence who cared for me. I appreciate all of the concern expressed by members of the public, and I look forward to returning to my normal life.”
The man affected was reportedly traveling through Sea-Tac Airport after a trip to China near the Wuhan region. He was initially hospitalized with pneumonia the week before a coronavirus diagnosis was confirmed.
Washington State Secretary of Health John Wiesman said he’s thankful this patient was so vigilant about reporting his symptoms and that he’s pleased with the response from the state and local health departments.
Jay Cook, Chief of Surgery at Providence, said the human-to-human transmission rate is low, but the patient was monitored in an isolated unit nonetheless.
He remains in isolation at home under monitoring by the Snohomish Health District. Out of respect for the patient’s privacy, Providence opted not to disclose the exact details related to his discharge from the hospital.
This comes as Sea-Tac Airport becomes one of eight U.S. airports now handling all arriving flights from China in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
New travel restrictions took effect as three additional cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed Sunday in California, bringing the U.S. total to eleven.
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the main airports in Dallas, Detroit and Newark would be added to the list Monday of airports now handling all flights from China. The eleven airports have enhanced health screening procedures, the capacity to quarantine passengers and will also handle all arriving passengers who have traveled to China in the last fourteen days.
DHS said U.S. citizens returning from China’s Hubei province now face mandatory quarantines that may last up to two weeks. Non-U.S. citizens, other than immediate family of U.S. citizens, flight crews and permanent U.S. residents, are being temporarily denied entry into the United States if they’ve traveled in China in the fourteen days prior to their arrival, DHS said.
KIRO 7 TV staff contributed to this report
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