UC Davis Extends Updates on Coronavirus

From the University of California, Davis:

January 28, 2020

Here are the latest updates from UC Davis and UC Davis Health about the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak:

• California has two confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, both in Southern California (Los Angeles and Orange counties).
• UC Davis is monitoring the situation as it unfolds in California and around the globe, and has implemented measures to help protect our community should a patient be identified in the future.
• The campus continues to operate normally. There are currently no plans to cancel classes, and the university will not plan to do so unless directed by the Yolo County Health Department.
• Global Affairs has advised university affiliates to avoid nonessential travel to China, based on a warning Monday (Jan. 27) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an earlier advisory from the State Department.

More about the new coronavirus, from the CDC.

Look for UC Davis updates at Dateline UC Davis.

The best defense

According to Student Affairs and UC Davis Health, the best defense is to adhere to the same good hygiene practices that are recommended for protection from the flu, including: wash your hands often with soap and water; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; and try to avoid close contact with sick people.

UC Davis officials also are telling people: It is not too late to get a flu shot for added protection.

Cindy Schorzman, medical director of Student Health and Counseling Services, said: “Any member of our community suspecting they have influenza or the coronavirus should stay home.”

Students should call the Student Health and Wellness Center, 530-752-2349, or their primary care provider before going in. “This will allow us to provide you with information on your illness, and to plan for your visit to the clinic, if needed,” Schorzman said in a coronavirus update posted today (Jan. 28).

Faculty and staff should contact their primary care providers for instructions.

Schorzman’s update also includes an FAQ. It includes this note: Healthy students should not stay home for fear of catching an infection in class.

UC Davis Health

The health system stands ready, as always, to respond to threats like the novel coronavirus.

“Teams from throughout the health system have put together processes, protocols and procedures to protect our community and region against this illness,” Chief Medical Officer J. Douglas Kirk said Monday.

“Our standard clinical practices for any infectious disease already mean that our staff is very well trained and prepared to isolate and treat any patient who has, or shows symptoms of, the new coronavirus,” Kirk said. “But we are adding additional guidance and refresher trainings to enable staff to be even more comfortable and prepared.”

In his internal message, Kirk said: “I remain optimistic that if we do see the outbreak here it will not reach anywhere near the levels that we are seeing in China. But all of us need to be vigilant, maintain best practices for flu prevention and encourage our patients and their families to follow good flu prevention practices, too.”

In a UC Davis Health Jan. 24 news release and video (above), Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases, addresses such questions as, “Should I wear a mask?” and “What should I do if I have cold symptoms?”

In a Jan. 22 news release and video, “What You Should Know” (below), Blumberg addresses such questions as, “Will the flu shot make a difference” and “How can I avoid Wuhan coronavirus?”

This press release was produced by the University of California, Davis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.