Notice of Additional COVID-19 Cases
April 6, 2020
We are writing to share with you that two additional members of the College of the Canyons community have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
We received this information late today (April 6). In the first case, the affected individual self-reported their diagnosis. This person was last on campus March 13. Because this individual was last on campus more than two weeks ago, the 14-day period of self-quarantine recommended by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has passed.
In the second case, the college was notified by a family member that the affected individual was admitted to the hospital for treatment of COVID-19-related symptoms. While official test results are pending, the case is being treated as a presumptive positive diagnosis by the patient’s physicians. The individual was last on campus on March 25. For reference purposes, April 9 marks the end of the 14-day period from the point of potential exposure related to this case.
We understand your desire to know more about these cases. We are balancing the concern that people feel with the need, by law, to respect the privacy of the affected individuals. To that end, we can’t provide any details that would serve to identify these two individuals.
We are coordinating with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. They will determine who was exposed by being in close contact with these individuals, and therefore needs to be notified. Public Health defines close contact as all household members, intimate contacts, and anyone who was within 6 feet of the infected person for more than 10 minutes.
The physical areas of the campus through which the individuals passed are part of our regular cleaning regimen, and will undergo additional disinfection. It’s important to know that transmission more commonly occurs via sustained face-to-face contact and through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Surface transmission is less common. To learn more, please click here for information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This situation underscores the need for all of us to maintain social distancing even when we show no signs of the virus. The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. According to the CDC, symptoms can appear anywhere from two days to two weeks after exposure. We urge you to continue to carefully self-monitor for symptoms, including any sign of fever, cough, or respiratory sickness every day before coming into contact with others.
Concerns about your individual health should be directed to your healthcare provider. To contact the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, please dial 211.
Updates about the virus, its local impact, and the college’s remote learning and services will be regularly posted on this website and on the college’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram).
The health and safety of our COC community remains our top concern. These are uncertain and unsettling times, but we will get through this together.
We will keep you posted when there are further developments.
– College of the Canyons Incident Command Team