Health Advisory: Outbreak of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, China
CUHC High Consequence Infectious Diseases (HCID) Incident Management Team (IMT) Briefing
Update: February 7, 2020
Action Steps: Review all items and direct employees to the CUHC FastCommand 2019-nCoV page.
- Under “For More Information” section select NJDOH 2019-nCoV NJDOH information for all personnel that have returned from January 19, 2020, to February 2, 2020, at 5 p.m.
- New product added to FastCommand: Pre-Event HVID 2019-nCoV Incident Action Plan.
- HCID travel poster.
- NJDOH “Ask for a Mask” poster.
- Ambulatory site requests for 2019-nCoV related PPE.
- 2019-nCoV Screening Script for operators, call-takers, and schedulers.
- All other product updated with most current interim measures as provided by CDC, WHO, etc.
- Advise the HCID IMT of any personnel that have returned to the area from China within that date/time range for appropriate risk assessment and follow up.
Hospital and Hospital-Based Practices:
- Please forward to staff, employees, students, and all other health care providers who might see patients with acute respiratory symptoms.
- Please share the information provided in the AM Huddle provided by IP/ID.
- Visit the CUHC 2019-nCoV link on the Cooper Pulse and FastCommand for additional information on 2019-nCoV as the HCID IMT will update it as information is received from CDC, NJDOH, and WHO.
Ambulatory Practices and Call Takers:
- Continue to routinely ask patients about international travel, including specific information about the country, city, and dates of travel.
- Have heightened vigilance for patients suspected of having 2019-nCoV infection based on the current Person Under Investigation (PUI) criteria outlined below.
- Contact the CUHC HCID IMT at 1.856.968.7900 for consultation if/when a patient meeting the PUI criteria is suspected, probable, and/or confirmed of having 2019-nCoV.
- Visit the CUHC 2019-nCoV link on the Cooper Portal and FastCommand for additional information on 2019-nCoVas the HCID IMT will update it as information is received from CDC, NJDOH, and WHO.
Synopsis:
- CDC continues to monitor an outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. There is much unknown about the transmissibility, severity, and other features associated with 2019-nCoV; therefore recommendations may change – and are expected to change – as more information is obtained.
- Since December 31, 2019, and as of February 7, 2020, 8:00 CET, 31 503 laboratory-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection have been reported, including 638 deaths.
- Cases have been reported on the following continents:
Asia: China (31 217), Japan (86), Singapore (30), Thailand (25), Republic of Korea (24), Malaysia (14), Taiwan (16), Vietnam (12), United Arab Emirates (5), India (3), Philippines (3), Cambodia (1), Nepal (1), and Sri Lanka (1).
America: United States (12), and Canada (7).
Oceania: Australia (15).
Europe: Germany (13), France (6), United Kingdom (3), Italy (3), Russia (2), Belgium (1), Finland (1), Spain (1), and Sweden (1).
Of the 638 deaths reported, 637 have been reported from China: Hubei (618), Heilongjiang (3), Henan (3), Chongqing (2), Beijing (1), Guangdong (1), Hainan (2), Hebei (1), Hong Kong (1), Jilin (1), Shanghai (1), Sichuan (1), Tianjin (1) and Guizhou (1).
One death has been reported from the Philippines (resident of Wuhan, China).
The U.S. Department of State has issued a Level 4 Travel Advisory – Do not travel to China: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/china-travel-advisory.html
Effective February 2, 2020, 5 p.m. EST the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued Supplemental Instructions for Inbound Flights With Individuals Who Have Been in China: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2020/02/02/dhs-issues-supplemental-instructions-inbound-flights-individuals-who-have-been-china
Recommendations:
No vaccine or specific treatment for 2019-nCoV infection is available; care is supportive. The criteria for a 2019-nCoV patient under investigation (PUI) are subject to change and are expected to change in the coming days, weeks, and months as additional information becomes known:
- Current Criteria to Guide Evaluation of PUI for 2019-nCoV (as of January 31, 2020).
- Fever (may not always be present).
- Clinical features of lower respiratory illness (cough, difficult breathing).
- Any person, including health care workers, who has had close contact with a laboratory confirmed 2019-nCoV patient within 14 days of symptom onset.
- A history of travel from Hubei Province, China, within 14 days of symptom onset.
- A history of travel from mainland China within 14 days of symptom onset.
- Patients who meet the PUI criteria should be reported immediately to the CUHC HCID IMT via 1.856.968.7900. (CUHC HCID IMT will coordinate notification of the Health Department/s having jurisdiction.)
Interim Health Care Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations:
- PUIs for 2019-nCoV should be asked to wear a surgical mask and evaluated in a private room with the door closed, ideally in an airborne infection isolation room if available. Health care personnel should use standard precautions, contact precautions, airborne precautions, and eye protection (e.g., goggles or a face shield).
- PUIs for 2019-nCoV do not require admission to a biocontainment unit. Unless clinically indicated, PUIs do not require hospital admission. Recommendations for home care are available on the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html). This will be coordinated with the Health Department having jurisdiction.
Additional Infection Control Practices Resources:
- Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Health Care Settings (https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/isolation/index.html).
- See CDC’s Interim Health Care Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients Under Investigation for 2019 Novel Coronavirus (/www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/infection-control.html).
For More Information:
WHO: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
NJDOH: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/ncov.shtml
NJDOH has assigned NJPIES 1.800.222.1222 as the NJ 2019-nCoV 24/7 Public Hotline.
Updates to follow.