Similar to the flu, most people will only have mild symptoms that do not require a visit to a healthcare provider or hospital. Individuals who are older or have underlying health conditions like chronic lung disease are at higher risk of more severe illness. Occasionally, a young, healthy person will have severe disease. Unfortunately, this woman is one of those people."”

Shauna McIsaac, director of Pinal County Public Health Department

The best way to prevent COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases is to:

* 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 often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Source: Arizona Department of Health Services and Pinal County Public Health Department. For the latest information about COVID-19, visit azhealth.gov/COVID19 or pinal.gov/publichealth

[Update: The Arizona Department of Health Services and the Pinal County Public Health Department confirmed March 7 that two additional Pinal County residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Both cases are from the same household as the current Pinal County case. State and local public health are investigating the cases. ADHS expects additional cases of COVID-19 in Arizona and is advising residents to follow infection prevention guidelines.  (See breakout box). ADHS and PCPHD say if you recently traveled to an area where COVID-19 is spreading and have developed fever with cough or shortness of breath within 14 days of your travel or have had contact with someone who is suspected to have COVID-19, stay home and call your healthcare provider. If you do not have a healthcare provider, you may need to be seen at your local hospital emergency room/urgent care center. Call the emergency room/urgent care center to get instructions before going in, officials said.]

Pinal County Public Health Department confirmed a presumptive positive case of COVID-19, bringing the total  case count in Arizona to three.

The initial case, a healthcare worker in her 40s lives in Pinal County and is in stable condition in a Maricopa County hospital, according to a release.

She is not a known contact of any confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 cases and has not traveled to any areas where it  is spreading widely. For this reason, public health officials are treating this case as its first instance of community spread, the release states.

“Community spread refers to the spread of an illness for which the source of infection is unknown. Just like during flu season, if you get symptoms, you need to stay home and take care of yourself,” Dr. Shauna McIsaac, director of Pinal County Public Health Department, said in the release.

“Similar to the flu, most people will only have mild symptoms that do not require a visit to a healthcare provider or hospital. Individuals who are older or have underlying health conditions like chronic lung disease are at higher risk of more severe illness. Occasionally, a young, healthy person will have severe disease. Unfortunately, this woman is one of those people,” she said.

“We are moving into a public health strategy that is just like seasonal flu. We know that healthcare workers are exposed to people with flu and other infectious diseases all the time and therefore are at higher risk, which is why they wear personal protective equipment,” Dr. Rebecca Sunenshine, medical director for disease control at Maricopa County Department of Public Health, said in the release. Now that there is community spread of COVID-19, just like during flu season, it is important for everyone, especially healthcare workers, to stay home when they are sick to avoid exposing others.

“We are no longer recommending quarantine of exposed healthcare workers who don’t show any symptoms because we need our healthcare workforce during this response,” Dr. Sunenshine said.

COVID-19 is a respiratory infection with symptoms including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The vast majority of people with the disease have mild symptoms and will not require medical intervention.

COVID-19 is believed to spread mostly through respiratory droplets produced when a sick person coughs or sneezes. Currently, there is no vaccine or treatment, but treatments are being studied and a vaccine is currently under development. Individuals with COVID-19 should be provided with supportive care including fluids or fever-reducing medication.

Since receiving the presumptive positive test result, Pinal County and Maricopa County have been working together to interview close contacts of the case and recommend symptom monitoring.

Overall recommendations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases spread through respiratory droplets are:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water is not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• 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 like door knobs, light switches, and electronic devices using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.

Public health encourages concerned individuals to follow credible sites for information about COVID-19.

For up-to-date facts, go to pinal.gov/publichealth and Maricopa.gov/Coronavirus.

For statewide case counts and information about testing at the Arizona State Public Health Lab, go to azhealth.gov/COVID-19.