MARYSVILLE, Calif. — Joshua Victorino began experiencing coronavirus symptoms — a cough and shortness of breath — a little over two weeks ago. Concerned that he might have contracted the virus, the 29-year-old Marysville man went to a drive through testing site in Yuba City.
"They just had me roll down the window and asked a few questions, took my temperature," Victorino said.
With only eight confirmed cases countywide, Yuba County has very few coronavirus cases compared to others nearby. In the 16-county Sacramento region, which includes Sacramento, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, 825 people have tested positive for the virus; 24 people have died.
Victorino became one of those eight.
Several days after being tested, he was notified by the Yuba County Department of Health and Human Services that he had tested positive for coronavirus and would need to quarantine for 10 days.
Victorino self-isolated from his wife and four children at their home in Marysville. During quarantine, he told ABC10 that he had a cough, shortness of breath, chills and diarrhea.
"Somewhere between a cold and the flu," Victorino said of the severity of his illness.
According to the World Health Organization, coronavirus symptoms "are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don't feel unwell. Most people (about 80%) recover from the disease without needing special treatment."
He says he is unsure where exactly he contracted the virus.
However, because the virus is now present across the state, he's urging the community to heed warnings by health officials to maintain social distancing.
It's unclear exactly how much longer the statewide stay at home order will remain in place. However, health officials have made clear that the best way to slow the spread of the virus is through social distancing.
"That's why I came out to let the people know, 'Hey, these are what my symptoms were,'" Victorino said. "It is serious, you guys should… Try not to go out as much. Even I didn't go out that much, and I still caught it."
Coronavirus Background
According to the CDC, coronavirus (COVID-19) is a family of viruses that is spreadable from person to person. Coronavirus is believed to have been first detected in a seafood market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. If someone is sick with coronavirus, the symptoms they may show include mild to severe respiratory illness, cough, and difficulty breathing.
Currently, there is no vaccine; however, the CDC suggests the following precautions, along with any other respiratory illness:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for a minimum of 20 seconds.
WHY HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE SO CONCERNED
Some people have compared the low overall death toll to the flu's high annual death toll in the United States as a reason not to be concerned about COVID-19, however, doctors and health officials are concerned for three main reasons:
- Some people have built up immunity to the flu, but few have immunity to COVID-19 version of coronavirus.
- Both the flu and COVID-19 are spread by droplets, but COVID-19 might be spread in the air. Scientists are researching exactly how COVID-19 spreads.
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