2 Coronavirus Cases Presumed In 2 Florida Counties: Governor

TAMPA, FL — The first two presumed cases of the new coronavirus have been noted in Florida, with both patients in isolation in the Tampa region, state health officials said Sunday evening. The Florida Department of Health said that despite these cases, the overall immediate threat to the public remains low from the respiratory disease also known as COVID-19.

Both patients tested positive for the virus, officials said, while another eight Floridians are awaiting test results. Another 184 people in Florida are under public health monitoring as of Sunday. You can find coronavirus updates on the Florida Health website.

The first patient is a man who lives in Manatee County who has no travel history to countries marked for restricted travel by the Centers for Disease Control. He sought health care and will remain isolated until cleared by public health officials, authorities said in a news release.

Authorities said the second patient is an adult resident of Hillsborough County with a history of travel to Italy, where there is a sizable coronavirus outbreak. This person will also be kept isolated until cleared by doctors.

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The Florida Department of Health is working with the patients, their close contacts and health care providers to isolate and monitor persons who may have been exposed to COVID-19 and implement testing of anyone who may develop coronavirus symptoms, including fever, cough, or shortness of breath.

“I have been working with federal partners and our Department of Health to ensure that communities are ready to handle the challenges presented by COVID-19. The dedicated professionals at our county health departments, as well as those working at local medical providers, are well equipped to address these and future cases," said Gov. Ron DeSantis in a statement. "I will continue directing our state agencies to do whatever is necessary to prioritize the health and well-being of Florida residents.”

DeSantis is scheduled to be in Tampa and Miami Monday with Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees and other officials to discuss the continued statewide response to the coronavirus.

Dr. Rivkees said the department is working with the CDC and local medical providers to ensure the two coronavirus patients receive the proper treatment and that anyone who has come into contact with them is following the necessary protocols, limiting or stopping any further spread.

“This is the scenario that we prepare for every day in public health," Rivkees said in a statement. "Our epidemiological teams are among the best in the nation, and they are right now aggressively pursuing every potential lead during these critical early moments of this outbreak in Florida.”

COVID-19 can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when someone coughs or sneezes. These droplets may land on objects and surfaces. Other people may contract the virus by touching these objects or surfaces, then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.

Symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days following exposure. Most people recover from the COVID-19 without needing special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness, the health department said.

Two people in Washington State died this weekend from COVID-19 — the new coronavirus that originated in Wuhan, China — marking the country's first known deaths linked to the virus as more cases were confirmed across the country. The first person who died was a man in his 50s with underlying health conditions, while the second victim was a man in his 70s who was hospitalized and had underlying health conditions.

As cases were announced in Washington, two health care workers in the San Francisco Bay area who cared for an earlier coronavirus patient were also diagnosed with the virus on Sunday, the Alameda and Solano counties said in a joint statement. Elsewhere, authorities announced Sunday a third case in Illinois and Rhode Island and New York's first cases.

Public Health Guidance On Virus Prevention:

• Do not go to an emergency room unless absolutely essential. Those with symptoms including a cough, fever, or other respiratory issues are advised to contact their regular doctor first.
• If you're sick, stay home.
• Commit to excellent personal hygiene, including regular handwashing, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.

Monitor the latest information on COVID-19 in Florida and across the United States:

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Florida Department of Health

Coronavirus expected to spread

President Donald Trump spoke about the coronavirus outbreak Saturday, urging residents not to panic, saying, "If you are healthy, you will probably go through a process and you'll be fine," Politico reported.

Also Saturday, the White House imposed new travel restrictions, elevating travel warnings to regions of Italy and South Korea and banning travel to Iran.

The virus — which originated in Wuhan, China — has infected at least 83,600 people, and 2,800 people have died, creating a global pandemic, according to the World Health Organization. It is spreading so quickly overseas that infectious disease experts and scientists warn there may be no way to contain it.

Last week, a top official at the CDC said during a news conference it's only a matter of time before the new coronavirus spreads to communities across the United States. Communities, schools and businesses should begin preparing now for "the expectation that this could be bad," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, the director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease.

What is the new coronavirus?

The symptoms of the new coronavirus are similar to seasonal influenza, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Both are infectious respiratory illnesses, but they're caused by different viruses.

Both cause fever, cough, body aches and fatigue, and both can result in pneumonia. Both illnesses can sometimes cause vomiting and diarrhea and can be spread from person to person by sneezing, coughing or talking.

Common good-health practices such as frequent hand-washing, covering coughs and staying home from work or school while sick can help control both illnesses.

Neither respond to antibiotic treatment, but both may be treated by addressing symptoms, such as reducing fever.

But there are some distinct differences between the two: Flu is caused by several types of viruses, while COVID-19 is caused by the new coronavirus, which is also called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2.

Johns Hopkins says there is some evidence COVID-19 could be airborne, "meaning that tiny droplets remaining in the air could cause disease in others even after the ill person is no longer near."

There is no vaccine to protect against the new coronavirus as there is against influenza. Scientists around the world are racing to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus, although none currently exists.

A company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has shipped vials of its novel coronavirus vaccine to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease for further research.

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff, contributed to this report.