CLEVELAND — Dr. Keith Armitage, an infectious disease expert from University Hospitals, spoke on Good Morning Cleveland following three confirmed cases of coronavirus in Cuyahoga County.
He provided perspective following Ohio's first 3 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus here in Northeast Ohio.
He says it's a "very rapidly evolving situation."
Here are some of the main bullet-points from our discussion.
Q- Do you believe the virus has been circulating here undetected?
A - "We know these three cases were acquired outside of Ohio. We haven't been seeing cases come in with no link to travel or known exposure. Up until now, there's no evidence that there's community spread in our community."
Q- What's next for containment in NEO?
A- "What's key is that these three patients obviously will be isolated, but their direct contacts - people who had direct contact with them - need to self-quarantine for 14 days. That's crucial in keeping this from spreading."
Q- How and when will the outbreak end?
A - It is unknown right now.
Q- Who is most at risk?
A- "What we've learned is it's a mild illness in children. Very few serious illnesses in children and young adults. In Italy, the average age of fatal cases was 80. So, it tends to affect people with underlying heart and lung problems and people who are frail, elderly. So, it's reassuring about our children, but it's concerning about our parents and grandparents."
Q- What is the most important thing we know and can do right now?
A - "People should pay attention to the public health authorities and listen to their guidance about social isolation if it comes to that. The contacts of these three cases need to self-quarantine."
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
COVID-19/2019 Novel Coronavirus Overview from the CDC:
“2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV/COVID-19) is a virus (more specifically, a coronavirus) identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China. At this time, it’s unclear how easily or sustainably this virus is spreading between people. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that are common in many different species of animals, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats. Rarely, animal coronaviruses can infect people and then spread between people such as with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).”
“When person-to-person spread has occurred with MERS and SARS, it is thought to have happened mainly via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Spread of MERS and SARS between people has generally occurred between close contacts.”
From News 5 and affiliated news outlets:
News 5's Coronavirus continuing coverage page
How to prepare your family and pets for COVID-19
EPA releases list of approved disinfectants to use against COVID-19
How to protect yourself from coronavirus when flying
Symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus are fever and lower respiratory tract issues, such as cough and shortness of breath, according to the Cuyahoga County Board of Health.
Travel
Anyone traveling internationally should review plans in advance of their trip, and check the CDC’s COVID-19 Travel Information Page for daily updates and travel alerts.
Click here for the CDC COVID-19 Travel Information Page
Practice Good Hygiene
The CCBH recommends the following good hygiene practices to prevent coronavirus, as well as the flu, colds and other illnesses:
- Sneeze or cough into the bend of your elbow to keep germs from spreading
- Regularly wash your hands with soap and water/use alcohol-based hand sanitizer in between
- Don’t share cups, spoons, forks, etc. with anyone
- Don’t make food for anyone if you are sick
- Don’t go to work or school if you are sick
- Visit a doctor, urgent care or emergency department if you are sick – don’t take chances
Please contact your medical provider with any questions.
Guidance for those with compromised immune systems
Click here for specific guidance from the CCBH for anyone at higher risk for becoming ill.
Additional Resources
Cuyahoga County: See the CCBH page on coronavirus here.
Ohio Department of Health:
Click here for the Ohio Department of Health’s Coronavirus information page.
It is updated daily at 2 p.m. with the current number of confirmed cases, persons under investigation and persons under investigation who tested negative for the disease.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are zero confirmed cases in Ohio, three persons under investigation in Ohio, seven persons who have tested negative for COVID-19, and a total of 255 people who were or are under health supervision since the novel coronavirus was first reported.
More resources from ODH:
Fact sheet
Prevention infographic
Resources and information
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CCBH has created this list of coronavirus-related resources from the CDC:
Homepage for COVID-19 materials and information
Fact sheet – Chinese
Fact sheet – English
Fact sheet – Spanish
Guidance for businesses
Guidance for colleges and universities
Guidance for communities and mass gatherings
Guidance for healthcare facilities
Guidance for healthcare professionals
Guidance for people with elevated risk for illness
Guidance for pregnant women
Guidance for risk assessment
Guidance for schools
Guidance for travelers
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – Chinese
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – English
What you can do to stop the spread of COVID-19 – Spanish
If you are sick with COVID-19 – Chinese
If you are sick with COVID-19 – English
If you are sick with COVID-19 – Spanish
Preventing spread of COVID-19 at election/polling/voting locations
Prevention and treatment
Symptoms – overview
World Health Organization
Coronavirus information
Mythbusters – the truth about food, packages, pets and other things related to COVID-19
Video – What is COVID-19?
Video – What is my risk of getting COVID-19?
Video – How can I protect myself from COVID-19?
