Coronavirus Alert: What GA Health-Care Workers Need To Know

ATLANTA, GA — The Georgia Department of Public Health this week urged health-care workers to be alert to signs of the novel coronavirus infection. Two cases of the illness have been confirmed in the United States, and several possible case are being investigated.

Health officials say the risk of the coronavirus appearing in Georgia is low overall, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shared precautions that doctors and facilities should follow. Healthcare providers who suspect the 2019-nCoV infection in a patient should report them immediately to DPH by calling 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584).

The outbreak emerged in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and now globally includes more than 500 cases and 17 deaths. Two U.S. cases have been confirmed in Chicago and Washington state.

The Centers for Disease Control began public health entry screening this week at airports in San Francisco, Kennedy in New York, Los Angeles, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

There is one daily direct flight between Atlanta and Shanghai, plus two to three more that connect from Asia, WXIA reports. "However, according to CBP (Customs and Border Protection), we do not expect to get a large influx of passengers from the affected area,"spokesperson Elise M. Durham said.

Closer to home, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is investigating a possible case of coronavirus infection in the state, the department confirmed Friday. The patient had mild respiratory symptoms and is currently in good condition and in isolation at Duke University Hospital. Officials said the patient recently passed through Wuhan, China, before returning to North Carolina via Raleigh-Durham International Airport Jan. 23.

According to the CDC, coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses that cause illnesses both in humans and animals. In rare cases, animal coronaviruses can evolve to infect people. The new virus is officially referred to as "2019 novel coronavirus" or "2019-nCoV."

More cases are expected in the U.S, the CDC said, even though the overall risk of coronavirus to the general public is low. The best way to prevent infection of any respiratory virus is:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cough or sneeze into your elbow or use a tissue to cover it, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces

Clinicians in Georgia who see a patient who shows signs of the coronavirus should obtain a detailed travel history for patients with fever and acute respiratory illness.

If a patient meets the criteria of a patient under investigation in association with the outbreak of the coronavirus:

• Ask the patient to wear a surgical mask.
• Evaluate the patient in a private room with the door closed, ideally in an airborne infection isolation room if available.
• Use standard, contact and airborne precautions, and eye protection (e.g., goggles or face shield).
• Immediately notify both infection control personnel at your facility and the DPH at 1-866-PUB-HLTH (1-866-782-4584) in the event of a PUI. Be sure to ask for a DPH Medical Epidemiologist.

Patients with confirmed coronavirus infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath. The CDC believes that symptoms of nCoV may appear in as few as two days or as long as two weeks after exposure, the release said.

At this time, only the CDC laboratories in Atlanta have the capabilities to test for the coronavirus, though it is expected that state public health laboratories will be able to test soon.

Researchers around the globe are still determining precisely how the virus spreads. Many patients in the Wuhan outbreak had visited a large seafood and animal market, but a growing number of patients have no connection.

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