COVID-19 Q&A
Questions about the coronavirus and COVID-19 abound as new numbers and advisories are issued daily from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Indiana State Department of Health, Dubois County Health Department and local hospitals and caregivers.
We sent some of those questions to Dubois County Health Department Administrative Director Jo Ann Spaulding.
Before that though, here’s an overview. All the following information comes from the CDC or the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that cause diseases in animals and humans. They often circulate among camels, cats, and bats, and can sometimes mutate and infect people.
Coronaviruses are named from the fact that when highly magnified, the virus is surrounded by a “corona,” or halo. This is due to the presence of viral spike peplomers — peplomers are protrusions that allow the virus to bind to certain receptors on the host — protruding from the virus body.
It is being called novel because it is new and the impact is unprecedented.
The virus causing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19 – COronaVIrus Disease 2019) is thought to have originated from bats crossing over to pangolin — an animal that looks like an armored anteater that is considered a delicacy in Asian countries but is a protected species — before it mutated to infect humans.
The virus first emerged in a seafood and poultry market in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. Cases have been detected in most countries worldwide, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a pandemic. It is thought that the main form of human-to-human transmission occurs from close contact through airborne respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
According to the CDC, it may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.
The first case of COVID-19 in the United States was reported on January 21, 2020. As of Monday, March 30, 2020, there are 143,055 cases reported in the United States.
Q&A
Is there a shortage of testing kits? I’ve read that swabs are an issue due to a lack of manufacturing capabilities in the U.S.
Yes — your comment is correct nationwide; however, hospital and testing facilities are continuing to test patients that meet the criteria and at this point aren’t experiencing any limitations due to supply regarding an ability to test at this point.
The common question is how many tests have been administered in Dubois County, can you report that? If not, why? Who holds that data?
Testing can cross county lines so numbers can be misleading since there are a number of testing sites in our region and they are not required to report the number of tests done or negative results with us.
Who is ultimately coordinating the local response and are there CDC representatives in the county?
The local Health Department is the lead agency on our public health emergency response. We have collaborated efforts with over 40 agencies including Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, other local health care providers, emergency management agencies, Local EMA director, emergency medical services, our police force, school administration, long-term care facilities, the hospital’s infection control team, hospital pharmacy, urgent care clinics, local businesses with health care clinics, county judges and court representatives.
Are the current methodologies being administered regarding social distancing designed to slow the spread enough to allow hospitals to handle potential patient overloading?
YES.
Are we expecting infection rates to come in waves?
This is a novel virus; we are learning as we receive information.
What are the plans for handling an overflow of patients if cases continue to grow?
A statement for our partners: “Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center established a Pandemic Policy in February 2006. Because this was already in place, we immediately began working daily regarding our emergency response plan and a surge plan to prepare to meet the health care needs of our community. In addition, we are working on a daily basis with all other regional hospitals within Incident Command: COVID-19 Regional Hospitals Bed Capacity and Nursing Group. This collaborative group identifies the availability of hospital beds, ventilators, negative airflow rooms, blood supply, visitation policies, and personal protective equipment.”
The Health Department is also working in conjunction with the hospital and out county longterm care facilities, EMS, first responders, fire, police, hospice and other area agencies to help support them in their efforts to combat COVID-19.
Additional information
This article from USA Today published Friday and then updated Saturday has some information on what has happened in Southern Indiana due to the lack of test kits. It features an interview with the head of Deaconess labs.
Here is a site set up by the FTC warning of scams centered around the coronavirus. Scams have already started with the recently passed stimulus bill. The government will not call you to get routing and account information to get a check to you, by the way.
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14. It’s well past time to be praying America!
How would you know if people are or aren’t praying?
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
Is there a specific number that would need to pray to make all this go away? 50%? 80%? 33.334%? Really, I’d like to know.
As far as turning from “wicked ways”, what exact are we calling wicked? A preacher in Miami who blatantly ignored all requests for him not to hold services for hundreds or even thousands of people, forced them to shake hands and hug, and talked about having a machine that would zap the virus out of the air? And I can already see next week’s headlines about his congregants contracting the virus. So yeah, I’d agree. That’s about as wicked as it gets.
Thomas,
Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try.
So true Jeff. The problem is he likely would never even consider trying.
That’s ok though. According to the Pew Research Center, only 49% of young adults consider themselves christian, and they are replacing the older generations.
In 20 years or so, the US will be majority non christian.