Following the report of Nevada County’s first confirmed case of coronavirus, the Tahoe Forest Health System has issued a number of guidelines to help curb the spread of the illness and keep the number of cases in the area to a minimum.

Tahoe Forest Health System President and CEO Harry Weis confirmed a coronavirus test was done remotely from a vehicle last Friday. The person immediately self isolated, and was later confirmed to be Nevada County’s first case of coronavirus.

In a letter from the Town of Truckee, Mayor Dave Polivy acknowledged the confirmed case was in Truckee. Weis and officials from Nevada County Health & Human Services said Eastern Nevada County was as specific of a location as they could give due to patient confidentially.

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Weis also added that the person, who tested positive, did not require hospitalization and would be isolated at home for two weeks.

“There’s a very significant amount of complex protocol that’s happening all across America to make sure that we’re not getting false positives or false negatives, to the maximum degree possible.”— Harry WeisTahoe Forest Health Systems President & CEO

Current testing takes roughly four days before a result is returned.

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“It’s a pretty sophisticated test,” said Weis. “There’s a very significant amount of complex protocol that’s happening all across America to make sure that we’re not getting false positives or false negatives, to the maximum degree possible.”

With one case in Nevada County and nine positive tests in Placer County, including one death, Weis stressed the importance of social distancing in the coming days and weeks. There are nearly 600 cases in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, and 13 deaths.

“We really believe we can keep the number of positive cases very low,” Weis said of the Truckee area.

Weis suggested following the Centers for Disease Control and the Nevada County Health Departments’ guidelines, which include washing hands often, and practicing social distancing.

In order to help stop the spread of coronavirus, Tahoe Forest Health System is actively working to reduce or restrict elective physician office visits, electable lab tests, x-rays and other imaging, and surgeries.

“We are doing this with your health and safety in mind, so our team can focus on ill patients,” Weis said in a release. “We’d like to keep our residents who are generally well away from the hospital campus for the next 30 days or so.”

If experiencing fever, cough, or shortness of breath, or other symptoms, Tahoe Forest Health System has an updated coronavirus hotline at 530-582-3450. The hotline is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Before walking into a physician’s office or emergency room, patients are encouraged to call the number, which will act as a dedicated resource for community members with questions about the coronavirus, along with info on when to seek care.

“The goal is, you don’t want to have all of these patients just entering various facilities,” said Weis.

Justin Scacco is a reporter for the Sierra Sun. Contact him at jscacco@sierrasun.com or 530-550-2643.