Sonoma County coronavirus patient dies at Sutter hospital in Santa Rosa

A Sonoma County resident has died Friday after contracting coronavirus and being hospitalized for serious illness, marking the first known fatality in the county and across the North Coast from the fast-moving disease that has led California Gov. Gavin Newsom to ask all Californians to stay home.

Interim Public health Officer Dr. Sundari Mase said she received the news of a death “with great sadness” on the same day the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus among Sonoma County residents doubled overnight - now standing at 22. The increase marks a rapid escalation of the virus’ spread and the effort of local health care providers to detect it.

“We need to be prepared for a worsening situation here over the next week,” Mase said.

Mase declined to say anything about the person who died, including the person’s age or information about how long the person had been sick. The patient’s family has been notified, she said.

She said she will not provide any details about the demographics of people contracting COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, until the number of local cases reaches roughly 50, a decision she made based on a sense that a larger group of patients would make it harder to identify anyone.

Earlier Friday, county spokeswoman Jennifer Larocque said the statewide order mirrors what has already been in place in Sonoma County. The local order is more specific and tailored to Sonoma County, she said.

“The spirit of both of these orders is to keep people safe by being isolated in their homes, and any excursions should be in that interest,” Larocque said.

County officials didn’t immediately provide any information about the two new cases, solidifying their now weeks-long refusal to disclose general details about age and gender of the patients or location of spread in the community. Most jurisdictions have provided that information.

County officials would not say whether the two people are health care workers or if the individuals are quarantined at home or hospitalized with severe symptoms.

Of the 11 people known to have contracted the virus, at least three are health care workers. Two people who had traveled on a February voyage of the Grand Princess cruise ship, the same ship that was later brought back to the Port of Oakland with more than a dozen Sonoma County residents who were taken to Travis Air Force Base.

The county, likewise, has provided no information about the condition of local patients and if they are recovering.

Public health labs have so far run about 285 tests for Sonoma County residents, with about 80% returning negative results and 45 tests still pending results, according to county statistics. The county is home to more than 500,000 people, and its top public health officer on Thursday suggested that 20 to 40% of residents may ultimately contract the virus.

The test figures include positive tests conducted at commercial labs such as Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp, but the data doesn’t include the number of tests conducted by those entities that were negative for COVID-19.

Check back for updates.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.