As health officials around the world work to contain the outbreak of the deadly novel coronavirus, local hospitals and health care providers are taking steps recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and the State Department of Health to be on alert for the illness and be prepared to respond to an outbreak here.
“We monitor at our hospital entrances and at all of our outpatient practices,” Peconic Bay Medical Center’s deputy executive director Amy Loeb said in an interview today.
Staff members assess people for symptoms. “Is there a fever? A cough? How long have they been experiencing symptoms? Anyone presenting with symptoms of concern is provided with a mask,” said Patricia Mupo, the hospital’s director of infection prevention.
“We have instructed staff to appropriately isolate people who are exhibiting symptoms that are concerning,” Loeb said.
Staff is also monitoring people for recent travel, she said. The virus is thought to have a period of up to 14 days from infection when it may be transmitted.
Loeb pointed out that similar protocols are already in place because “flu season has been in full swing for some time now.”
Health officials in the U.S. have the advantage of “a bit of a heads up,” Loeb said, giving them the ability to prepare in advance. “The fact that we have the ability to prepare in advance is obviously a big advantage for us in the U.S.,” she said.
The number of confirmed cases in the U.S. so far has risen to 11, with a second person-to-person transmission confirmed in California. Another 82 people under investigation are listed as “pending” by the CDC, according to Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
On a media teleconference this morning, Messonnier said the CDC expects more confirmed cases in the U.S., “given the explosive nature of this outbreak in China.”
The federal government has taken aggressive and “unprecedented” measures to contain the outbreak in the U.S., Messonnier said today. President Trump on Friday issued an order suspending or restricting the entry into the U.S. of “all aliens who were physically present within the People’s Republic of China, during the 14-day period preceding their entry or attempted entry.”
U.S. citizens, immediate family members of U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents returning from China will be screened and directed to one of 11 U.S. airports, Messonnier said. They will get additional health assessments and if symptomatic, they will be transferred to isolation, she said. If they are asymptomatic, they will be subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine at or near that location, she said. The U.S. currently has 195 people in a 14-day quarantine and CDC expects that number to grow over the next week, Messonnier said.
“Given the nature of this virus and how it’s spreading, it will be impossible to catch every infected person,” Messonnier said. “Our goal is to slow the entry of this virus into the U.S.”
Messonnier defended the federal government’s response to the situation in the face of criticism from the People’s Republic of China, which said the U.S. was overreacting and fanning the flames of fear.
“A couple weeks ago there were 41 cases. This morning there were 17,000,” Messonnier said. “We made an aggressive decision in front of an unprecedented threat.”
She stressed that having time to prepare is an invaluable help.
With the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, “that virus was on our doorstep when we recognized it,” Messonnier said. “This time we do have time to prepare and we are preparing as if it is the next pandemic,” she said. “Strong measures now may blunt the impact of this virus on the U.S.”
That lead time is important, said PBMC’s Loeb. “The primary focus right now,” Loeb said, “is preparing for screening in our facilities.” The hospital, which sees more than 70,000 patients every year between its emergency department and its Manorville campus, has its “emergency management plans ready to go in the event of any sort of surge activity,” she said. “Being part of a large heath system really helps us.”
Dr. Mark Jarrett, Northwell Health’s quality officer and deputy chief medical officer, said the system is closely monitoring the situation, adhering to CDC recommendations and actively working with the state and county departments of health.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the health system is implementing existing emergency response guidelines and procedures to identify potential patients, isolate them appropriately, ensure that our staff utilizes the recommended personal protective equipment, and provide for the safety of team members at all times,” Jarrett said.
The public can take simple steps to prevent the spread of any illness, including influenza and the novel coronavirus, Loeb said today.
“Number one: wash your hands,” Loeb said. “That is the best way to prevent getting sick or spreading illness to others.” Also, she said, “Stay home if you’re sick. Don’t go to work.”
Officials all stress that there is no need to panic. The director-general of the World Health Organization this morning said in an address to the organization’s executive board that the outbreak can be managed.
A major area of concern is to “combat rumors and misinformation,” said the director-general, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“To that end, we have worked with Google to make sure people searching for information about coronavirus see WHO information at the top of their search results,” he said. “Social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Tencent and Tiktok have also taken steps to limit the spread of misinformation.”
The CDC says the “complete clinical picture” regarding 2019-nCoV is not yet fully understood. Reported illnesses have ranged from infected people with little to no symptoms to people being severely ill and dying.
While CDC considers the virus “a very serious public health threat,” the risk to individuals depends on exposure. For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV is considered low at this time, according to the agency.
“The goal of the ongoing U.S. public health response is to detect new cases quickly and prevent further spread of 2019-nCoV in this country,” according to the CDC.
For more information, visit the CDC website.
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