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

BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Department of Health late Friday urged health-care workers to be alert to signs of the novel coronavirus infection that originated last month in Wuhan, China. Four cases of the deadly illness have been confirmed in the United States, and possible cases are being investigated in several states, including three in Virginia.

Experts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have shared precautions that doctors and facilities should follow. Healthcare providers who suspect the 2019-nCoV infection in a patient should report them immediately to their local health department, as well as the Maryland Department of Health at 410-767-6700 during working hours or at 410-795-7365 after working hours.

So far, no cases of the virus are being investigated in Maryland.

The Virginia Department of Health says three people in the Commonwealth are being monitored at hospitals after they showed signs of the novel coronavirus infection. Four cases of the illness have been confirmed in the United States, and several possible cases are being investigated across the country.

The death toll in China from the virus has risen to 56. As of Sunday afternoon, four U.S. cases have been confirmed in Chicago, Washington state and two in southern California.

Two of the Virginia patients under investigation for the new virus — called 2019-nCoV by disease experts — are in the central part of the state, and one is is northern Virginia, according to the department's website.

If you traveled to Wuhan, China, or other areas impacted by 2019-nCoV, monitor for symptoms of fever, cough or difficulty breathing for 14 days after your return.

If you do feel sick with fever, cough, or difficulty breathing during that 14 days, you should:

• Seek medical care right away. Before you go to a doctor’s office or emergency room, call ahead and tell them about your recent travel and your symptoms.
• Avoid contact with others.
• Not travel while sick.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when coughing or sneezing.
• Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

Commonly reported symptoms of 2019-nCoV infection include:

Prevention

There is no vaccine available for 2019-nCoV. In general, people can protect themselves and others against respiratory viruses by taking the following precautions:

While the influenza vaccine does not protect against coronavirus infection, it can help keep you healthy during the flu season.

Clinicians in Maryland 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).

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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