The California patient who has mystified health officials by testing positive for the coronavirus despite not having traveled abroad or being exposed to another known patient is reportedly in serious condition. The Solano County woman tested positive for the coronavirus several days after being hospitalized last week. Her case could be the first U.S. instance of community spreading, which, if confirmed, would make the virus much harder to test and contain as anyone could feasibly catch it. “That suggests that the virus is out there in the community, and that means pretty much that everybody’s at risk,” Dr. Dean Blumberg told CNN affiliate KCRA. “We don’t know who might be carrying it. We don’t know who we can get it from.” California Rep. John Garamendi told CNN the woman is in serious condition and has been intubated. Meanwhile, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the first manufacturing shortage of a drug due to the outbreak. The FDA didn’t name the drug, but said the coronavirus had caused an issue in its manufacturing process.
