Mercer County Officials Warn About Coronavirus Stigmas

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Mercer County officials are advising residents about some forms of stigma that may be forming around some groups of people related to the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

These groups include people of Asian descent; people who have traveled; and emergency responders or health care professionals.

“Public health emergencies are stressful times for all of us, but it’s important that we not let that affect the way we treat people,” Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said Friday evening. “Stopping stigma will help make our communities resilient and must be part of our response to the COVID-19 threat.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that people — including those of Asian descent — who do not live in or have not recently been in an area of ongoing spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, or have not been in contact with a person who is a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 are not at greater risk of spreading COVID-19 than other Americans.

The warning comes after the third presumptive case of new coronavirus was identified in New Jersey. This case is in Camden County, and is the first case reported in South Jersey. Read more here: First Presumptive Positive Case Of Coronavirus Reported In South Jersey

The man is in his 60s, and is in stable condition at a hospital in Cherry Hill. No more information about him was provided as of Friday evening.

On Friday, officials provided more information about a woman in her 30s who is hospitalized at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center as travel restrictions were announced for state employees.

The individual, who has mild symptoms, had her specimen collected at Englewood Hospital and is isolating at home until the New Jersey Department of Health deems her medically cleared.

A Fort Lee man was diagnosed with the first presumptive positive case of the disease in the state. He remains hospitalized at Hackensack University Medical Center, officials said.

According to the state, he developed symptoms on March 1, got medical care on March 2 at an urgent care facility before going to the emergency room at Hackensack.

The patient had limited close contact with other New Jersey residents, officials said. Those who did have contact — which may have been mostly in New York City — have been asked to self-quarantine, officials also said.

Hughes said that people who are interested in assisting their community during a crisis should consider joining the Mercer County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).

The Mercer County MRC unit invites any licensed health care professional, professional or retired, who lives or works in Mercer County and any community volunteer who lives or works in Mercer County who has an interest in health and emergency preparedness issues to join. MRC volunteers supplement existing emergency and public health resources to prepare for and respond to emergencies at a local level. All volunteers receive free training.

Sign up to be an MRC volunteer by creating an account on the New Jersey Learning Management Network. CLICK HERE for instructions. For more information, contact Stephanie Mendelsohn at 609-989-6898 or smendelsohn@mercercounty.org.

"Since learning about the widespread novel coronavirus last month, my administration has been actively engaged in implementing precautionary measures, as well as a comprehensive preparedness and rapid response plan to contain the spread of COVID-19 in New Jersey," Gov. Phil Murphy said.

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.