Montgomery County Public Safety Issues Coronavirus Update

NORRISTOWN, PA — Every day, or rather every hour, it seems, there is some new bit of coronavirus information hitting the airwaves. In an updated statement issued to first responders regarding the virus issued this week, the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety acknowledged the shifting nature of the pandemic.

"The situation is fluid and changing every minute," the county said.

There still have been no confirmed or suspected cases of coronavirus in Montgomery County or in Pennsylvania. While CDC officials said this week they believe widespread contagion of the virus in the United States is just a matter of time, they've also acknowledged how hard the exact path of the virus is to predict.

"It's not so much a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more a question of exactly when this will happen and how many people in this country will have severe illness," a CDC official said.

In Montgomery County, Public Safety and the Office of Public Health have made all EMS personnel aware of the CDC's personal protective equipment guidance. They've also developed modified codes to handle a potential response to the virus.

The CDC's guidance, which is being forwarded to all Montco first responders, directs responders to stand at least six feet away unless they charged with direct patient contact. Protective equipment includes disposable gloves, isolation gowns, respiratory rotection, and eye protection.

Globally, at least 80,000 people have been infected and 2,700 people have died from the new coronavirus, 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.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health said on Wednesday that they were taking steps to prepare for the spread of the virus.

“Since the start of this outbreak, we’ve taken a proactive approach to prepare and carefully monitor potential cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania,” Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said in a statement. “As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised today, we need to be prepared for community spread of COVID-19. We are working to make sure our health systems, first responders and county and municipal health departments have the resources they need to respond.”

Health officials have repeated that we are at the peak of annual cold and flu season, with over 10,000 estimated flu deaths nationwide already this season. The following precautions help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses including both the flu and the new coronavirus.

• "Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or use alcohol-basedhand sanitizers and rub till completely dry.
• Cough/sneeze into a tissue and dispose the tissue immediately into a trash can. If youdon't have a tissue, cough/sneeze into the crook of your elbow, not your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Avoid close contact with others who are sick.
• If you are sick stay home, seek health care, and avoid contact with others such asmeetings and events.
• Clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces."

For more information, see resources below:

• 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.

With reporting from Patch correspondents Michael Woyton and Christopher Huffaker