4 Cooper Staff Quarantined After Possible Coronavirus Exposure

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Four employees at an urgent care center in Cherry Hill have been self-quarantined after coming into contact with a man who has tested presumptive positive for new coronavirus, Cooper Health Systems announced.

The man, who has been identified by county officials as a Cherry Hill resident in his 60s, visited the urgent care center on March 3, according to Cooper. He was hospitalized the same day.

At the time of his visit, he didn’t show any symptoms of the disease, and had no travel history consistent with the virus, officials said. Therefore, a diagnosis of new coronavirus was not suspected, officials said.

The New Jersey Department of Health later notified Cooper that the man tested presumptive positive for the disease, and four employees who came into contact with him were placed in self-quarantine, officials said. They are being monitored by Cooper’s infectious disease physicians.

Only four other patients were in the urgent care center at the time of the man’s visit, officials said. They didn’t come into close contact with the man, so they are not required to self-quarantine, officials said. They have been notified of the situation by Cooper.

The Cooper Urgent Care Center in Cherry Hill is functioning under normal operating conditions.

Health officials announced on Friday that the man was in stable condition and in isolation at Jefferson Hospital Cherry Hill. He is the first presumptive positive case of coronavirus in South Jersey. Read more here: First Presumptive Case Of Coronavirus Reported In South Jersey

As of Monday morning, there were six presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in New Jersey, and 27 additional people in nine counties are under investigation. In South Jersey, one person is under investigation in Camden County and two people are under investigation in Cumberland County. Read more here: 6 NJ Presumptive Positive Coronavirus Case; Probes In 9 Counties

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Officials reminded residents the best way to prevent the spread of coronavirus is to practice good personal hygiene and follow these tips:

• Wash your hands thoroughly, and often, with soap and water for 20 seconds;
• Stay home when you're sick;
• Avoid contact with others who are sick;
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue; and
• Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects.

The New Jersey Department of Health has partnered with the New Jersey Poison Information and Education System to open and operate a call center (1-800-222-1222) for public use regarding questions, concerns, and other information related to coronavirus spread in New Jersey. More information is also available on the state's coronavirus webpage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
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.