2020-01-30 Coronavirus Press Release from State Dept of Health (2)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 29, 2020 20-008 Hawai‘i Department of Health Prepares for 2019 novel coronavirus HONOLULU – Although the risk to the general public is low, the Hawai‘i Department of Health (DOH) is working with state, county, and federal partners including the medical community and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to actively prepare for possible cases of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Last week, the DOH alerted the medical community and information for healthcare providers has been posted at www.health.hawaii.gov. Currently, there are no cases of 2019-nCoV identified in Hawai‘i and the risk to the general public is low. The novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China and currently there are more than 6,000 cases confirmed in China and at least 17 countries. This includes 132 deaths in China. There have been at least 5 cases in the U.S. of people who traveled to Wuhan or other areas in China and no evidence of person to person spread of the virus in the U.S. “The Hawai‘i Department of Health is working closely with our emergency response network to put proactive measures in place to protect our residents and visitors,” said Health Director Bruce Anderson. “Because Hawai‘i is a major travel destination, planning and preparing for possible outbreaks is an ongoing activity. The emergence of the 2019 coronavirus in Wuhan and its potential to spread to areas outside of China poses an increased threat to travelers and Hawai‘i residents and we’ve ramped up our efforts.” “We are advising people not to travel to China at this time,” said Anderson. “Various areas in China have been placed under quarantine by the Chinese government, and travel within the country is either completely prohibited or significantly curtailed to prevent the spread of this disease.” To date, the DOH has taken the following actions:  Issued a Medical Advisory on Jan. 21, 2020 to ensure healthcare providers are aware of the situation, understand response urgency to report potential cases to DOH immediately, conduct specimen collection and infection control measures;  Continually updating DOH website to provide information as it evolves: https://health.hawaii.gov/docd/advisories/novel-coronavirus-2019/  Monitoring our respiratory disease surveillance system to ensure Hawai‘i is prepared should a person potentially exposed or infected with 2019-nCoV be identified;  Collaborating and frequently communicating with CDC, other state health departments, and state public health partners (e.g., EMS/first responders, airport personnel, infection control partners) to closely monitor the situation nationally and internationally;