Burlington Board of Health Update On New Coronavirus Risks

BURLINGTON, MA — Burlington's Board of Health offered an update Tuesday on preventing exposure to the new coronavirus. There has been a second presumed case of the virus in the state: a woman in her 20s tested positive at the State Public Health Laboratory, but the Centers for Disease Control have yet to confirm the test. The woman, a Norfolk County resident, recently traveled to Italy with a school trip.

The risk of the new virus to Massachusetts residents remains low, public health officials say.

The Norfolk woman is recovering at home, public health officials said.

Burlington Public Schools also sent a communication to parents in February with tips for preventing the spread of the new virus. Parents are encouraged to keep their children home if they are sick.

"We took steps several months ago with the retraining of the custodial staff on the correct cleaning process of our schools to prevent the spread of the flu. These are the same cleaning practices to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus and all other illnesses/viruses," the letter notes.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

The CDC has prepared a coronavirus fact sheet with basic information on the virus.

The Burlington Board of Health offers the following additional recommendations:

• "If you have recently traveled and become ill, call your health care provider and notify them of your travel history.
• Avoid non-essential travel to areas affected by COVID-19. Visit CDC’s Information for Travelers to get the latest updates."

According to the Board, wearing masks is not recommended in public.

"Masks can be useful in some settings, such as a clinic waiting room, to prevent someone who has a respiratory illness from spreading it to others," they write. "There is no hard evidence that wearing a mask protects the wearer outside of the healthcare setting."

It's not yet time to cancel public events, according to the board.

The Board also shared the following links:

2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Situation Summary
2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Case Count in the U.S.
CDC website - General Information
MDPH website - General Information

Regular status reports from the World Health Organization are also available here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.