Utah Gov. Gary Herbert declared a state of emergency on Friday connected to the COVID-19 virus that is spreading throughout the United States. He took this action even though no confirmed cases have been contracted in Utah.
The move is proactive, he said.
“Our number one focus is preparing for the arrival of novel coronavirus,” Herbert said. “Issuing this declaration now allows us to take additional proactive steps that will make a big difference in how effectively we can respond once we start seeing COVID-19 diagnoses in Utah.”
Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, who is leading the state’s preparedness efforts, said the executive order “allows our state and communities to access additional funding and resources that will be instrumental in helping us prepare to slow the spread of coronavirus.”
Utah lawmakers are also considering setting aside $16.5 million for the state’s virus response.
Public anxiety over the illness ratcheted up this week. Utah’s Coronavirus Task Force fielded 277 calls on its informational hotline between Tuesday and Thursday alone, state health officials said.
[Read more: Complete coverage of the coronavirus]
And questions poured into a University of Utah’s online broadcast Friday led by Tom Miller, medical director of University Hospital. Here’s a sampling of the questions on Utahns’ minds:
"How do people know if they have the normal flu versus coronavirus?"
The symptoms are the same, so a patient has to be tested, Miller said.
"Should people start avoiding social gatherings? Concerts? Sporting events?"
It depends on your comfort with risk. Once the virus begins to spread in Utah, we should expect more events to be cancelled, Miller said.
“Can you spread the virus if you’re showing no symptoms?”
Yes, but coughing appears to be the likeliest means of spreading the virus. Patients may spread it by touching their noses, eyes or mouths, and then touching some other object. The virus may survive on surfaces for three to six hours, so consider using sanitary wipes on shared spaces, Miller said.
No confirmed cases have been contracted in Utah, state health officials said Friday. But residents should brace themselves for disruption when it inevitably arrives, Miller said.
“Social distancing is a way to prevent the spread of this virus as it would be during a flu season, and it’s a good idea. In a state of emergency, you can absolutely expect gatherings to be limited or eliminated altogether.”
One patient had been treated for the virus, formally known as COVID-19, in a Utah hospital after testing positive elsewhere. But he was discharged Friday after developing no symptoms, the Utah Department of Health said in a news release. The patient planned to self-quarantine at his St. George home until two consecutive tests came back negative, health officials said.
Seventeen people had been tested for coronavirus as of Thursday; 15 were negative, with two results pending, health officials have said. The state had materials for 400 tests and was limiting them to patients with symptoms — cough and fever — and a known risk factor, such as travel to an affected area or close contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient.
Nationwide, more than 280 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, resulting in 15 deaths. Cases have been diagnosed in states near Utah, including Arizona, Colorado and Nevada.
In coming weeks, tests will likely be commercially available through health care providers.
"Within a few weeks we will likely have a lot more tests that a doctor can order, and so the criteria will ease and we'll be able to find out if people have COVID-19," Miller said.
The Veterans Affairs Salt Lake City Health Care System announced Friday that it will screen people “for signs of respiratory illness and exposure to COVID-19” as a “precautionary measure,” something that is happening at VA facilities nationwide.
Federal officials have said the United States likely will experience a shortage of tests.
Meanwhile, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Friday announced it was moving all missionaries out of South Korea, except those who are from the country.
The missionaries will "return home before departing for new temporary assignments in their home countries," church officials wrote in a news statement. "This is in addition to those missionaries who were nearing the end of their service and those who had chronic health problems, who have already returned home early."
At a meeting Friday morning, Utah’s Coronavirus Task Force discussed further steps the state could take, including “developing outreach plans to address vulnerable populations,” finding ways to increase testing and “ensuring access to telehealth care for residents statewide,” according to a news release from the governor’s office.
For more information on coronavirus, Utahns may call the state hotline at 800-456-7707.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2wFTkRx
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