1/31/2020 Update:

An additional case of 2019-nCoV confirmed in the U.S.

The spouse of someone with a confirmed case of 2019-nCoV has contracted the illness. The initial patient had traveled from Wuhan, China to her home in Chicago, IL. Her husband and other close contacts were being monitored for symptoms, and her husband, who had not been to China, became symptomatic. His case is now confirmed. The first patient is recovering. It is not yet known the severity of illness in her spouse.

While this is the first time person-to-person transmission has occurred in the U.S., the risk of "community transmission" is still low as the 2nd patient had sustained, prolonged, close contact with the initial patient.

As of this time no one outside of China has died of the disease.

There are currently approximately 10,000 people with confirmed 2019-nCoV infections. The vast majority of these cases are in China. The actual number is likely to be far higher as, due to a short of testing kits in China, only those with severe symptoms are being tested. The mortality rate is currently considered to be approximately 2%. However, it may be considerably lower as most infected persons with mild symptoms are not being captured in the current data. For comparison purposes, the mortality rate for the 2003 SARS outbreak was approximately 15% (and higher for older patients).

WHO declares global health emergency

The World Health Organization today declared a 2019-nCoV global health emergency. This should help in developing a coordinated, global response to the epidemic.

New York State

New York State has had 11 persons under investigation (PUI) so far. 7 of those have tested negative for 2019-nCoV, and the state is awaiting test results for the other 4. To date there have been no confirmed cases in the state.

New Jersey

To date there have been no PUIs or confirmed cases in NJ.

1/29/2020 Update:

The latest scientific information

The source of the virus has still not been confirmed. The full extent of the spread is still unknown partly due to a shortage of testing kits in China (patients with less severe symptoms are not always tested in order to save test kits for patients with more severe symptoms). The World Health Organization believes approximately 20% of infected persons are experiencing severe illness. The rest are experiencing milder symptoms.

Current cases worldwide

There are currently approximately 6,000 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV worldwide, with the vast majority of cases in China. So far, the countries with confirmed cases include:

Australia
Cambodia
Canada
China/Hong Kong
France
Germany
Japan
Macau
Malaysia
Nepal
Singapore
South Korea
Sri Lanka
Taiwan
Thailand
United States
Vietnam

CDC screening at U.S. airports expanded

All flights from China to the U.S. will have passenger screening for 2019-nCoV at the following U.S. airports:

JFK
Newark
Philadelphia
Boston Logan
LAX
San Francisco
Chicago O'Hare
Atlanta
Houston
Dallas/Ft. Worth
El Paso
San Diego
Seattle/Tacoma
Honolulu
Anchorage
Minneapolis-St. Paul
Detroit
Miami
Washington Dulles
San Juan

Other travel information

The CDC's travel recommendation has been raised to a level 3 (no unnecessary travel to China).

Several airlines are beginning to cancel flights to/from China due to a large drop in demand.

New York/New Jersey region

There continue to be no confirmed cases on 2019-nCoV in the NY/NJ region.

1/27/2020 Update:

United States

To date there have been 5 confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in the U.S. – 2 in CA, 1 in WA, 1 in Arizona and 1 in IL. As of 1/27/2020 there are 26 states that have had patients under investigation (PUI) for 2019-nCoV. Nationwide 5 persons have tested positive for 2019-nCoV, 32 have tested negative, and 73 are pending test results. Specimens from PUIs (unless they are ruled out for possible exposure) are sent by the states to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for testing. Testing to determine if someone is positive or negative for 2019-nCoV takes 6 hours. Genome sequencing to determine if there have been any genetic mutations takes longer. Genetic mutation can mean, among other things, that there is a change in how the disease is transmitted or the severity of the disease. At this time there has been no evidence of genetic mutation since the first case was identified in the U.S. a few days ago.

So far all patients with confirmed 2910-nCoV in the U.S. had traveled to Wuhan within the last few weeks.

New York State

In New York State there have been a total of 9 PUIs. The state is currently waiting for CDC testing results for 5 of those cases. At this time there a no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV in New York State.

Currently JFK is the only airport in the NY/NJ region that is screening for 2019-nCoV. However, the CDC is expected to announce changes in travel recommendations in the next day or so. That may include changes in airport screening.

How to protect yourself

• Download and share the Nurse Practice Alert (Updated: 3/04/2020)

The CDC recommends that healthcare workers coming within 6 ft. of patients who may have 2019-nCoV take the following precautions:

1. Immediately place a surgical mask on the patient and remove to an isolation room
2. Wear PPE including:

• gloves
• gown
• face protection (either face shield for goggles)
• N95 respirator

3. Wash hands with warm water and soap frequently
4. Avoid touching mouth, nose and eyes with unwashed hands

Healthcare facilities should be educating healthcare staff on 2019-nCoV, putting in place triage procedures for fast identification of patients with travel history to China and symptoms of 2019-nCoV (fever, lower respiratory symptoms including cough and/or shortness of breath, and/or sore throat), making sure enough PPE is available and making sure enough space is available to quickly isolate patients who may have 2019-nCoV.

Hospitals are likely to be dealing with patient surges at this time due to influenza. An influx of additional patients due to confirmed or suspected 2019-nCoV could push healthcare facilities (and especially emergency departments) well past capacity. Click HERE for more information on managing flu surge.

Contact the NYSNA Occupational Health & Safety Representatives at healthandsafety@nysna.org.