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Newsom: First community spread of COVID-19 in CA started in a nail salon
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the first community spread of COVID-19 started in a nail salon.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The first recorded case of community transmission of coronavirus in California happened in a nail salon, Gov. Newsom said.
The revelation came in an off-handed manner Thursday during his daily update on the pandemic's effect on the state.
"This whole thing started in the state of California, the first community spread, in a nail salon," he said, noting that the virus spread despite the fact that gloves were used. "I'm very worried about that."
Nothing more specific was mentioned about the person who contracted it or where the salon might be.
He mentioned the nail salon only after a reporter asked him why nail and hair salons are slated for a later, Phase 3, opening.
The first community spread of coronavirus in the United States was in Solano County on February 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously said.
The county never provided more information about that person, other than the fact that he or she had not traveled outside the country. It's unclear if the nail salon case that Newsom mentioned involved that same patient.
The Santa Clara County Health Department told KTVU that the death of Patricia "Trish" Dowd, 57, of San Jose is not related to the nail salon. She was the first person in the United States to die of coronavirus on Feb. 6.
This story was reported from Oakland, Calif.