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WHEELING --As the specter of coronavirus captures public attention, local health departments are getting guidance from state and federal health authorities to deal with any potential outbreaks.
Currently, the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is monitoring a few individuals who may have been exposed to 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
"None of the travelers we are monitoring are symptomatic and we currently have no patients under investigation for COVID-19 in the state," administrator Howard Gamble said.
"Individuals who are being monitored -- who have had travel in the past 14 days from mainland China -- are required to remain at home or in a location approved by local public health as much as possible," he added.
No individuals in Marshall County or Belmont County are under self-quarantine for potential exposure to coronavirus, according to health officials in the two counties.
Amid growing international concern, the Belmont County Health Department is concentrating on preparation and education.
"Everyone needs to be educated," said Robert Sproul, deputy health commissioner. "There's a lot of misinformation out there. We want people educated, not frightened."
Sproul recommends the public get information from reputable sources such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or state health departments.
Tom Cook, administrator of the Marshall County Health Department, said, "We are yielding very few questions requesting information for educational programs, although we are being proactive with the Marshall County Schools and sending out daily talking point briefings that we are receiving from the State of West Virginia Center for Threat Preparedness as distributed by the CDC.
"We have also talked to the school nurses not only on the coronavirus but the flu and reinforcing the flu vaccine. The state is helping the counties by sending this type of information on a daily basis," Cook said.
In Ohio County, Gamble said, "Public health agencies, both local and state, have been very active since early January concerning the COVID-19. Our department and a few others in West Virginia have also monitored and quarantined individuals who met the risk assessment criteria.
"At this time, there are no cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia. However, we are still active in planning and preparing for any kind of spike in cases," Gamble said. "As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised this week, we need to be prepared for community spread of COVID-19. We are working to make sure our health systems, first responders and our public health partners have the resources they need to respond."
West Virginia agencies also are updating the state's pandemic flu plan.
"One major update/revision will be to our housing and transportation section (mass care)," Cook said. "The ideal situation would have individuals self-quarantine. They are pulling together a planning group of state-level partners to initiate mass care discussions, and identify a facility or three across the state that could serve as a shelter to house individuals who could be placed under quarantine."
Gamble said, "Our agency, as well as our partners in Ohio, participate in regular statewide public health conference calls and national presentations. We are getting regular updates and guidance for handling monitoring, cases and other issues pertaining to this disease."
The Ohio Department of Health also is providing guidance every day to local health departments in the Buckeye State.
"Basically, it's a lot of guidance and a lot of preparation at this point," Sproul said. "We plan for pandemics as a normal part of our emergency preparedness program. We have an emergency preparedness person in the (county) office and a whole department in Columbus."
On the local level, he said, "Our emergency preparedness person has met with EMS, police and fire (personnel) on what to do going forward. I've reached out to our other partners in the county. If there is a question or issue, we'll work together."
In addition, the Belmont County Health Department gave a presentation on coronavirus at St. John Academy in Bellaire at the request of school officials.
One person in Ohio is under investigation for exposure to coronavirus. That person's name and location have not been disclosed.
"The state is going to statewide reporting, not county by county, for HIPAA reasons, which is understandable," Sproul said, referring to medical privacy regulations mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
In the Mountain State, Gamble said, "As part of the response here in West Virginia and the Upper Ohio Valley, public health officials are closely monitoring the health of individuals who have traveled from mainland China (outside of Hubei province).
"Health monitoring is required of these individuals for up to 14 days because they may have been exposed to COVID-19. This does not mean that they will get sick with novel coronavirus," Gamble said.