Daytona Beach, FL - With two "presumptive positive" cases of COVID-19 – aka the Coronavirus – on the Gulf Coast, some Florida residents are wondering if the disease now has a better chance of affecting them.
To put it simply, not really.
The news broke early this week about the two cases, which were originally reported in the Tampa Bay area of the state. A release from the Florida Department of Health says both individuals have been isolated and are receiving care. Despite those two cases, the overall threat remains low.
The first patient is an adult Manatee County resident who actually doesn't have any travel history to countries identified to be travel restricted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Florida Health says that person sought health care and is now isolated until they are cleared by public health officials.
The second patient is an adult Hillsborough County resident with a history of travel to Italy. They are also under isolation until they're cleared by public health officials.
And while state officials say the overall immediate threat is low, the state remains under a public health emergency, issued by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Both Governor DeSantis and State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees spoke on the issue recently and offered updates on the state's fight against the disease. Rivkees reported that so far there are two groups of people that the health department and the CDC are monitoring: Those who are considered under investigation – or have been investigated – and are suspected high risk, and those who have returned from mainland China and are self-isolating.
Concerning those that are in the first group, Rivkees said that 15 of them have been tested and yielded negative results for the virus, while two of them were labeled as "presumptive positive." Those labeled positive are the cases from Hillsborough and Manatee. Six other cases remain undeclared, not counting those who have self-isolated at home.
"There have been more than 800 individuals that we have monitored," said Rivkees. "Within that are 184 individuals that the government referred to that we are currently monitoring."
Rivkees further clarified that those in self-isolation did not travel to the Hubei province – where Wuhan is located – but, regardless of that, they are still being monitored.
"Our goal is to limit this spread of COVID-19," said Governor DeSantis. "From the beginning, the Florida Department of Health has been proactive."
According to the latest situation report from the World Health Organization (data reported as of March 1st), there are 87,137 confirmed cases globally with about 1,739 newly reported cases. Five new member states of WHO – Azerbaijan, Ecuador, Ireland, Monaco and Qatar – are now reporting cases of COVID-19.
In China alone, there are 79,968 confirmed cases with 579 new cases reported with 2,873 deaths, with 35 now added on. But, outside of China, there are only 7,169 confirmed cases in 58 countries with only 104 deaths.
WHO reports that a majority of COVID-19 patients are adults. Among 44,672 patients in China, 2.1% were below the age of 20. The most commonly reported symptoms were fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. 80% of patients experienced mild illness. Approximately 14% experienced severe disease and around 5% were critically ill. WHO says that early reports suggest that illness severity is associated with age and co-morbid disease.
The number one priority for anyone right now is to minimize the spread of any germs. The state health department says that COVID-19 can spread from person-to-person through small droplets from the nose or mouth, including when someone coughs or sneeze. Those droplets can land on objects or surfaces that people touch, which, inadvertently, spreads the disease.
To prevent the spread:
The CDC also says that if you are asymptomatic and healthy, you do not need to wear a mask. Facemasks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease. The use of masks is also crucial for health workers and caretakers at home or in a health care facility.
Symptoms of COVID-19 mimic those of the common flu – fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms can appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 following exposure. According to the Florida Department of Health, most people recover from COVID-19 without any kind of special treatment. The elderly and those with underlying medical conditions like high blood pressure, heart problems and diabetes, are most likely to develop serious illness.
A person that experiences a fever or symptoms of respiratory illness within 14 days of travel from China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan and any other destination under the CDC's travel advisory should notify their health care provider and local health department and mention their recent travel or close contact.
If you have been in close contact with someone showing those symptoms who have recently traveled or been in contact with someone with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19, call your health care provider and your local health department. Your health care provider will work with the health department to see if you need to be tested for COVID-19.
