A police car is parked outside Jackson Township Middle School, Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2018 in Massillon, Ohio. (Photo: AP)

LOS ANGELES, March 4 (Xinhua) -- The first death related to novel coronavirus in state of California was confirmed Wednesday by authority.

The dead patient, an elderly adult with underlying health conditions living in Placer County, was the county's second confirmed case of COVID-19 and had tested positive for the virus after returning from a cruise.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the loved ones of this patient," said Placer County Health Officer Aimee Sisson at a press conference, "While we have expected more cases, this death is an unfortunate milestone in our efforts to fight this disease, and one that we never wanted to see."

Health officials believed the patient who just tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, may had been infected sometime between Feb. 11 and Feb. 21 during international travel on a cruise ship that departed from San Francisco to Mexico.

Health officials said the person had minimal community exposure after returning from the cruise and going to the hospital. All 15 healthcare workers who were exposed prior to the patient are now in quarantine and none of them exhibited symptoms.

However, it's possible that other cruise passengers may have also been exposed, Placer County Public Health said, they are working closely with Sacramento County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify and contact other cruise passengers.