CORONAVIRUS UPDATE SUMMARY

as of 2/26/2020

Information summarized from WHO, CDC, CNN

• CDC established a COVID-19 Incident Management System on January 7, 2020.
• On January 21, CDC activated its Emergency Operations Center to better provide ongoing support to the COVID-19 response.
• Although WHO has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern,” the outbreak has not met the criteria needed to be described as a pandemic when it comes to its geographical spread and impact.
• According to WHO, as of Monday 2/24/2020, more than 79,000 people have been infected and more than 2,600 people have died around the world from the novel coronavirus outbreak.
• These human coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, have been found to persist on inanimate surfaces — including metal, glass or plastic surfaces — for as long as nine days if that surface had not been disinfected, according to research published earlier this month in The Journal of Hospital Infection.
• “It appears that COVID-19 is not as deadly as other coronaviruses, including SARS and MERS,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. “More than 80% of patients have mild disease and will recover. In about 14% of cases, the virus causes severe diseases including pneumonia and shortness of breath. And about 5% of patients have critical diseases including respiratory failure, septic shock and multiorgan failure. In 2% of reported cases, the virus is fatal, and the
• risk of death increases the older you are. We see relatively few cases among children. More research is needed to understand why.”
• Scrub hands clean with soap and water, wipe down shared workspaces with those disinfectant wipes and cover coughs and sneezes.

Clinical Presentation:
There are a limited number of reports that describe the clinical presentation of patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection, and most are limited to hospitalized patients with pneumonia.

• Data for human infection with other coronaviruses (e.g. MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV) suggest that the incubation period may range from 2-14 days.
• Frequently reported signs and symptoms include:
  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Muscle pain
  • Fatigue
  • Shortness of breath at illness onset
  • Sore throat
• Less commonly reported symptoms include:
  • Sputum production
  • Headache
  • Coughing up blood
  • Diarrhea
• Approximately one-third to one-half of reported patients had underlying medical comorbidities, including diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease

Prevention:

The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. However, as a reminder, the CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
• Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
  • CDC does not recommend that people who are well wear a facemask to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including COVID-19.
  • Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The use of facemasks is also crucial for health workers and people who are taking care of someone in close settings (at home or in a health care facility).
• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.

Treatment:

There are currently no antiviral drugs licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with 2019-nCoV infection. No specific treatment for 2019-nCoV infection is currently available. Clinical management includes prompt implementation of recommended infection prevention and control measures and supportive management of complications, including advanced organ support if indicated. Corticosteroids should be avoided unless indicated for other reasons (for example, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or septic shock per Surviving Sepsis Guidelines, because of the potential for prolonging viral replication as observed in MERS-CoV patients.