What If The Coronavirus Spreads? Local Health Officials Weigh In

SEATTLE, WA — As health officials prepare for the possible spread of a new virus from China, King County is sharing some insight about what may lie ahead. According to data from the World Health Organization, confirmed cases of COVID-19 — a strain of coronavirus — in China is rapidly approaching 80,000. More than 2,600 people have died from the illness.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 cases have been confirmed within the United States, with an additional 39 cases among people who have returned to the U.S. from abroad. That number includes three dozen people from the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

In Washington state, only one person has tested positive for the virus: a Snohomish County man who had the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 in the nation. According to health officials, he is now considered fully recovered.

Despite the small number of cases reported nationwide, health officials in Washington are preparing for the likelihood that more infections are on the horizon.

In a media briefing Tuesday, CDC officials said Americans should prepare for the virus's likely spread.

"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," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier.

Health officials in Washington are echoing the CDC's call for a proactive approach to the virus.

From Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for King County Public Health:

"With the growing spread in other countries, we can anticipate that eventually there will be more cases in the United States. Remember that the term pandemic tells us about the extent of an outbreak – a new virus that spreads readily to many countries around the world – but it doesn’t tell us about the severity of the outbreak. We still can’t predict exactly when a pandemic outbreak might reach us nor how severe a COVID-19 pandemic might be locally. But if it happens, and that seems likely, it could cause many people to become ill in a short time. This will stress our healthcare system and disrupt many of our regular activities, including school, work, and social events."

According to Duchin, public health tactics to prevent the virus from spreading are based on how health officials already address the flu.

"Many of these recommendations are designed to keep people from spreading illness through crowds or group settings, based on planning done for an influenza pandemic," Duchin said. "As we learn more about how COVID-19 spreads, guidance will be updated as necessary."

• King County Public Health said it is unknown whether school or childcare dismissals will be recommended, but schools are a place where people have a higher potential to spread infectious diseases. "Dismissing schools may help slow the spread of disease before a pandemic becomes widespread in the community," Duchin said.
• In the event of a local outbreak, health officials said employees should discuss sick-leave policies with their supervisors. Guidance for workplace illness planning is available on the CDC website.
• Those with chronic, underlying health conditions, or aged 65 and older, are encouraged to talk to their doctors about obtaining an emergency supply of medications.

"At this time, even though we do not have local community transmission of COVID-19 in the U.S., that will likely change," Duchin wrote. "It's important to start preparing now and think about how we will be resilient together, before a pandemic, so that we all will be better off should one occur in the coming weeks to months."

You can find local updates on the COVID-19 outbreak on the King County website, or review a summary updated by the CDC here.