prospecting
News, etc.
Online wine tasting — a delicious shelter-in-place activity.
Student writes great essay about saving the world. B1
EL DORADO COU
NTS
CENSUS 2020
B2
See page A8. Wednesday, March 25, 2020
mtdemocrat.com
Community transmitted COVID-19 case confirmed
Volume 169 • Issue 35
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“I mean, this is Main Street, Small Town, USA — we’ve got to make sure it survives.” — Karen Johnson, Shingle Springs resident
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer
El Dorado County health officials identified the county’s first community transmitted case of COVID-19, bringing the local total of test-confirmed cases in residents to three. “There are three ways in which we classify the way people acquire COVID19; through close contact with an individual who has the virus, through travel-related exposure and through an unidentified source in the community,” said El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams. “We have had one confirmed case through direct contact and one case that is travel related. n
See Community transmitted, page A3
Coronavirus testing hard to find in EDC
Democrat photos by Kevin Christensen
David Shum, a server at Thai Noodle Express on Main Street in Placerville, hands a take-out order to two customers Sunday.
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer Nearly two months after California’s first case of COVID-19 some El Dorado County residents say it’s still “I understand exceedingly there aren’t difficult to get a coronavirus enough tests test. And that for everyone includes people who say they yet but it’s are experiencing scary to think symptoms how many of associated with COVID-19. us might be While out there.” county officials announced — Eric Kephart, its first two Rescue resident coronaviruspositive residents Friday (both contracted the virus out of the area), ill West Slope individuals are waiting to see if they’re next. A woman in Camino who wished to remain anonymous said she had a fever, intense body ache, a dry cough and come-and-go exhaustion — each symptom commonly associated with COVID-19 — for nearly a week straight. She hadn’t been out of the country or in contact with anyone who tested positive for the coronavirus, though she had n
See testing page A3
Survival spirit alive on first day of mandatory stay-home
Pat Lakey Staff writer
Thinking outside the box
D
espite the checkerboard pattern of darkened storefronts creating a stark contrast against the bright lights of those still open Saturday, as Placerville and El Dorado County went through the first 24 hours of a mandatory “shelter in place” order, the attitude of merchants still welcoming the public definitely was that of winners. And despite the fact that the number of “dark squares” outnumbered the bright oases where customers came in, chatted and purchased items — quickly — downtown merchants are not conceding the game to the coronavirus, COVID-19, worldwide outbreak. Although no case of
n Main Street merchants
collaborate for customers
Pat Lakey Staff writer
Angela Anderson, owner of Pop Art on Main Street in downtown Placerville, gives a customer a newly framed piece of art outside her shop Saturday. anyone contracting COVID-19 emanating from El Dorado County had been reported by Saturday afternoon, two local residents tested positive for the virus, it was learned late in the week — but they were infected while they were in areas outside the county. Both reportedly stayed where they
became sick and rode out the coronavirus; symptoms were said to have been mild. But worldwide, people are dying from the outbreak that began in China, with one such fatality reported in neighboring Placer County — and local
To deal with the devastation to business from the coronavirus pandemic, local merchants have become ever more creative in the ways they offer their wares to customers. Chefs John Sanders and Genevieve Millward of the Old Town Grill at 444 Main St. in Placerville will be having a “Night In” event this Friday, March 27, where aficionados of their irresistible creations may pick up their orders curbside — haute cuisine that should stay hot on the drive home. Choose from one of three entrees: panko crusted chicken breast, braised lamb shank with mushroom demi glace or poached steelhead filet and lemon beurre blanc. n
n
See outside the box, page A5
See survival, page A7
2 county residents contract COVID-19 out of area, recover fully n Both cases presented mild
symptoms
Dylan Svoboda Staff writer After announcing its first case Friday morning, El Dorado County officials that afternoon announced a second confirmed case of the coronavirus in an El Dorado County resident. A county woman recently visited sick family members in Central California where exposure is believed to have occurred. The patient has remained in the Central Valley and has fully recovered from mild symptoms. Health officials are currently monitoring the case.
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An El Dorado County man traveled to the state of Washington, which leads the U.S. in COVID19 deaths, where county officials think he was exposed to the virus. He was tested in Placer County. The man suffered mild symptoms, self-isolated and has since fully recovered, according to El Dorado County Public Health Officer Dr. Nancy Williams. He had no underlying issues and was younger than 65. As of noon Friday the county knew the results of 68 coronavirus tests for county residents, with 66 individuals testing negative. In the last week at least 50 more individuals were tested, of which results are still pending. “Since the state loosened testing requirements, and commercial laboratories started accepting
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COVID-19 tests, there has been a significant increase in testing completed by local healthcare providers,” Dr. Williams said. High demand for coronavirus tests has slowed processing of the tests, according to Williams. Laboratories are taking five to seven days to process and provide results for COVID-19 tests. “While testing is available, it’s still limited,” Dr. Williams said. “We want to ensure that those who really need the test are getting it. Not everyone who has respiratory symptoms needs to be tested for COVID-19. If you’re sick with a fever and respiratory systems, you may simply have the flu. Even if you have COVID-19, if you’re experiencing relatively mild symptoms, you often won’t need to be tested and can just stay home and practice self-isolation until you’re well.”
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