No COVID-19 cases here yet
By KRISTEN KELLEHER/Sentinel staff
CAPE MAY COUNTY – A new strain of coronavirus, COVID-19, has yet to impact New Jersey residents as of Tuesday, March 3.
Local public health officials, however, are urging residents to take precautions, such as washing hands regularly, to prevent the spread of the new virus.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health website, COVID-19 is a respiratory infection. It is caused by a new virus that began in December 2019 in the area of Wuhan, China.
The earlier cases of COVID-19 are linked to a seafood and animal market.
The virus spreads largely from person-to-person contact, from people who are in close contact with each other or through respiratory droplets that are produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms of the virus can appear two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Patricia Diamond, an Atlantic County public health officer, said coronaviruses are a type of common virus which can infect a respiratory tract.
She said there are four types of the virus that commonly circulate.
“Almost everyone gets the coronavirus once in their life, but this particular coronavirus is a new strain that we haven’t seen before,” she said.
“COVID-19 is something we haven’t seen before and, therefore, we don’t have immunity to protect ourselves against that,” she said.
According to the CDC, coronaviruses are part of a large family of viruses that are common in people and some animals, such as camels, cattle and bats.
There have been 60 total cases of COVID-19 in the United States since Jan. 21, according to the CDC website, including six deaths as a result of the virus, and 12 states reporting cases.
So far, there have been 22 confirmed travel-related cases in the United States and 11 confirmed person-to-person confirmed cases.
COVID-19 cases have spread throughout the world, and confirmed cases were found in Nigeria, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Egypt, Ireland, France, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Australia, Cambodia, and Malaysia, among many other countries.
Due to the virus, the CDC recommends travelers avoid non-essential travel to China, South Korea, Italy and Iran.
The CDC also recommends older adults and those with chronic health conditions consider postponing travel to Japan.
States with confirmed and presumptive testing include California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Florida, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Illinois and Wisconsin.
A few New Jersey residents were reportedly tested for COVID-19.
However, as of Tuesday, March 3, there haven’t been any confirmed cases in New Jersey, according to Diamond.
However, she said they continue to monitor that and that this may change.
“People need to keep abreast of the information that’s out there,” she said.
Diamond urged people to get a flu shot to prevent a dual infection.
“The flu itself can be very serious,” she said.
Atlantic County offers a free flu shot clinic for county residents from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
According to Natalie Sendler, the Cape May County director of public health nursing, the CDC recommends anyone who has a fever or cough, or who has visited any of the five countries with virus-related travel restrictions, should call their health care provider.
“If they have symptoms, they should reach out to their health provider via phone and tell them because the health provider will determine what they should do after that,” she said.
If the symptoms worsen, people should go to the emergency room.
Sendler recommended that anyone with any type or respiratory illness, including the flu, follow the same steps.
She encouraged the public to get information about the COVID-19, but not to panic.
“They don’t know how far and wide this will spread at this point, and you already see what they’re doing with some social distancing in other countries, which might or might not occur (in the United States),” she said.
Last week, the Cape May County Department of Health sent out information about the COVID-19 and the precautions the county is taking.
According to the information, the county Department of Health contacted health care providers and stakeholders throughout the county and provided them with regular updates and educational material, reached out to schools with information about the guidelines, hand hygiene, and more, and established a COVID-19 pamphlet on the county website.
“Presently, the current risk to the Cape May County residents of contracting this virus is considered low. Nevertheless, this department is taking proactive precautions by monitoring the situation, enhancing disease surveillance, educating and updating area healthcare providers,” Kevin Thomas, health officer, stated in the information from the county Department of Health.
The Atlantic County Division of Public Health is also communicating with local agencies, including schools, and health care facilities, with up-to-date information, according to Diamond.
Dr. Manish Trivedi, the director of the division of infectious diseases at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, said on Friday, Feb. 28, that he would say the COVID-19 threat was low for Atlantic County.
“But the world is small right now.” he said. “We always have to be vigilant as far as being aware of our situation.”
According to Trivedi, at AtlantiCare, their policies and plans are in accordance with what the CDC recommends.
The hospital is “doing really vigilant screenings” for the virus, he said, and patients who present possible symptoms, including flu-like symptoms, are asked to wear a facemask.
Patients are commonly asked about their travel history, but Trivedi said they are being asked more geographically-specific questions.
The CDC recommends preventing the spread of the virus by avoiding close contact with people who are sick, avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth, covering a cough or sneeze with a tissue, staying home when you are sick, cleaning and disinfecting objects and surfaces that are regularly touched, and washing hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. There is no vaccine to prevent the coronavirus.
Facemasks should be used by people who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19, or someone who is taking care of someone in a close setting, such as a health care facility. However, the CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask.
Trivedi recommended that those who think they might be at risk of having COVID-19 should call their primary care providers and get screened.
“I think as long as all of our states are vigilant the way we are here at AtlantiCare with screening … we should be able to quell this,” he said.
Additional information on the COVID-19 is available at the Cape May County Department of Health page on the Cape May County website at www.capemaycountynj.gov, the Atlantic County Division of Public Health page on the county website, https://www.atlantic-county.org/public-health/, and on the CDC website at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/index.html.
New Jersey has set up a 24-hour public hotline citizens can call for information about the COVID-19. To reach this hotline, call 1-800-222-1222.