Allen County Public Health is closely monitoring this situation and is working with the Ohio Department of Health as well as other state and local public health partners and CDC to respond to this emerging public health threat. The goal of the ongoing U.S. public health response is to contain this outbreak and prevent sustained spread of 2019-nCoV in this country. The risk for getting coronavirus is low unless you have traveled to China within the previous 14 days of becoming ill, or have been around someone ill with the virus.

What is 2019-nCoV?
The 2019-novel Coronavirus is part of a large family of coronaviruses. Some of them cause illness in people and others circulate among animals.  Rarely, animal coronaviruses can evolve and infect people and then spread between people.  This is what happened in 2003 with SARS and in 2014 with MERS.  These viruses may cause mild to severe respiratory illnesses.

“While we are monitoring the situation and sharing information proactively, it is important to remember that the risk is considered low for people in the US. This is a good reminder, though, that the everyday steps we can take against the seasonal flu are also beneficial to lower risk for novel viruses such as this,” says Kathy Luhn, Health Commissioner.

Everyday Precautions – protect against flu and the 2019-novel Coronavirus

You can also protect yourself and others by using everyday practices to reduce the spread of germs:
·wash your hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available;

·cover coughs and sneezes;

·avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth;

·stay home when you are sick; and

·avoid close contact with others who are ill.

Who is at risk?
Displaying compassion to all people will be critical as this health situation evolves. People who have not traveled to China or been in contact with a person known or possible to have the illness are not considered at risk.

If you have traveled to Wuhan or been in contact with someone who has coronavirus or is being evaluated for it, here are instructions from public health officials:

Monitor your health for 14 days, starting with the first day you traveled or came into contact with someone ill with coronavirus. Watch for fever, coughing and shortness of breath.

If you develop respiratory symptoms, call your doctor or a hospital before you go there. They will give you instructions.

Stay away from other people until you receive instructions.
At this time, CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to China. If you are planning an upcoming trip to China, visit the CDC website for travel advisories: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.ht

Additional Recommendations: While the immediate risk of this new virus to the American public is low at this time, everyone can do their part to help us respond to this emerging public health threat:

For everyone: It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and CDC recommends getting vaccinated, taking everyday preventive actions to stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed.

For healthcare professionals:
Be on the look-out for people with travel history to China and fever and respiratory symptoms.

If you are a healthcare professional caring a 2109-nCoV patient, please take care of yourself and follow recommended infection control procedures.

For people who may have 2019-nCoV infection: Please follow CDC guidance on how to reduce the risk of spreading your illness to others.

For travelers: Stay up to date with CDC’s travel health notices related to this outbreak.

What to expect: More cases are likely to be identified in the coming days, including more cases in the United States. Given what has occurred previously with MERS and SARS, it’s likely that person-to-person spread will occur, including in the United States.