LIHU‘E — 2019 Novel Coronavirus — nearly everyone is talking about this new strain of coronavirus that has not been identified before in humans.
It hasn’t been confirmed in Hawaii as of Friday, but The Garden Island newspaper received an anonymous phone call advising that there were cases of the coronavirus on the island Friday afternoon. That anonymous call was referred to the Kauai District Office that later debunked as an “unsubstantiated rumor.”
“As the new coronavirus has been headlining the news recently, we’d like to remind everyone that there are no cases in Hawai‘i at this time,” states information distributed by the Office of the Governor. “Though the immediate health risk in Hawai‘i is low, we recognize the seriousness of the situation and the state is working diligently with county and federal officials around the clock.”
“The Department of Health is continually updating information as the situation evolves and federal directives change. We urge everyone to learn about the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, also known as 2019-nCoV, by staying informed with credible sources such as the Department of Health.”
Lauren Guest, the Public Health Preparedness Planner at the Kauai District Health Office, said the website is updated regularly, and for those who prefer to speak to a person, Aloha United Way is also available at 211 from anywhere in Hawai‘i, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
According to information from DOH, the 2019 Novel Coronavirus is a new respiratory virus that was first identified in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in Hubei Province. It has since spread to other cities across China as well as several other countries, including the United States.
“As of Feb. 6, there are no confirmed or suspected cases of 2019-nCoV in Hawai‘i,” confirmed Dr. Janet Berreman, the Kauai District Health Officer. “However, due to the rapidly evolving nature of the outbreak, the Hawai‘i State Department of Health, and other state and county partners are taking proactive measures to ensure readiness in the event that the Islands are impacted.”
Many of those “proactive measures” include establishing cooperation between the various agencies and identifying how already in-place protocol would help should coronavirus show up in Hawai‘i.
And as they’re coordinating, the Department of Health, the County of Kaua‘i, and the Hawai‘i state government are reminding people of the need to be informed of the latest developments on the 2019-n-CoV.
“Wilcox Health and other health care providers across the state are working in cooperation with the Hawai‘i Department of Health,” said Jen Chahanovich, the CEO and president of Wilcox Health. “It is important for people to stay informed with accurate information from reliable sources regarding preventive measures and the current situation in Hawai‘i. With the prevalence of social media, it’s easy for inaccurate information and false rumors to spread, causing unnecessary confusion and worry within our communities. The best sources are the Hawai‘i Department of Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami said the County of Kaua‘i has been fully cooperating with the other partners in the monitoring of the novel coronavirus.
“The County of Kaua‘i has been working closely with our state, federal, and private sector partners as we collectively and collaboratively enhance our preparedness and readiness for potential novel coronavirus cases,” Kawakami said. “The Governor’s Office, Department of Health, and the Hawai‘i Emergency Management Agency have been in close contact with the county mayors and our respective Emergency Management/Civil Defense agencies, along with our jurisdictional partners.”
Elton Ushio, the administrator of the Kaua‘i Emergency Management Agency, is well acquainted with the procedures in place for dealing with these types of outbreaks.
“Our Dept. of Health, the Centers for Disease Control, and healthcare partners have established protocols for dealing with infectious respiratory disease cases, include novel coronavirus,” Ushio said. “The County defers to our public health and medical partners regarding the specifics. That being said, the County work closely with these partners via KEMA and our Emergency Operations Center, coordinating public information along with providing operational and logistical support.”
Berreman said the protocols have been developed under actual use and refined.
“We are fortunate to have good working relationships among emergency response partners on Kaua‘i and feel confident that appropriate measures that are being taken to prepare our community for the potential impacts,” Berreman said.
“The County minimizes the threat via close collaboration and coordination utilizing the ‘whole community’ approach,” Ushio said. “The county and our partners at all levels of government and the private sector collectively prepare for, respond to, recover from and mitigate these and other threats, similar to our prior events such as the historic April 2018 flood and landslide disaster, tropical cyclone impacts, and previous public health threats such as mosquito-borne disease, mumps, rat lungworm, and others.”
Wilcox Health and its hospital would be one of the first places suspected cases of novel coronavirus would be addressed.
“Wilcox Health has the capabilities and is prepared to care for patients with the coronavirus,” Chahanovich said. “Our staff goes through regular training for reducing infection risks, which includes proper use of personal protective equipment and protocols for isolating and caring for patients who present symptoms or test positive for these types of conditions. Wilcox is also in close contact with the Hawai‘i Dept. of Health regarding the current situation in Hawai‘i and the latest infection control recommendations to follow in the event a person potentially infected with the novel coronavirus comes to our medical center.”
Chahanovich said people who visit Wilcox, or their primary care physician at any of the Kaua‘i Medical Clinic locations with signs and symptoms of a respiratory illness will initially be asked a series of screening questions to help the clinical staff quickly identify if they may be at a higher risk for a communicable disease.
If there is anything in their responses that may indicate an identified risk, there is a specific infection control process that will be initiated in order to prevent the spread of illness and ensure the patient gets the appropriate level of testing and treatment required.
“Our staff practices standard precautions as recommended by the CDC on a daily basis to prevent any cross-contamination of illnesses among patients and staff,” Chahanovich said. “Our standard environmental cleaning practices also meet the recommended guidelines. At Wilcox, we also have equipment that uses ultra-violet light for disinfecting which is used regularly to provide an additional layer of protection in our cleaning and disinfection process to reduce infectious risk of all types.”
All of the partner agencies involved in the novel coronavirus encourage people to be vigilant.
“At this time, we encourage the public to assist us by staying informed, monitoring media and official Dept. of Health and CDC products,” Kawakami said. “And, as always, maintaining a 14-day disaster supply kit.”
Dr. Berreman reminds residents that we are also in the middle of a busy flu season.
“Residents can take precautions to protect themselves from the flu, and these same precautions will help protect them from coronavirus if it arrives here on Kaua‘i,” the Kauai District Health Officer said. “Those precautions are — washing hands frequently with soap and water (or using hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available); avoiding touching your eyes/nose/mouth; covering coughs and sneezes; staying home when you are ill; and keeping your distance from others who are ill. In order to prevent the flu, it is not too late to get a flu vaccine. We highly encourage flu vaccination for everyone 6 months of age, or older.”
Chahanovich said while there is intense focus on the novel coronavirus, it is important for people to remember that this is the flu season and there is likely to be confusion as people with the flu will have similar signs and symptoms such as fever and coughing..
“Both the Hawai‘i Dept. of Health and CDC advise that the best way to prevent transmission of any respiratory illness, including flu, is to follow everyday preventive actions,” Chahanovich said. “Avoid close contact with people who are sick, stay home if you are sick, and wash or sanitize your hands often too reduce the risk of getting sick. The Hawai‘i Dept. of Health also strongly recommends the flu vaccine for people 6 months and older. Talk to your primary care physician about getting the flu vaccine if you have not gotten one already.”
Info: health.hawaii.gov/docd/advisories/novel-coronavirus-2019/ or health.hawaii.gov/docd/files/2020/01/2019_nCoV_FAQ.pdf
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
