Eugene, Ore. –Coronavirus may seem scary, but it’s influenza Americans primarily should be worried about, experts say.
Still, precautions should be taken if a sick person has visited China, said Dr. Jim McGovern, PeaceHealth vice president of medical affairs, at a Friday news conference.
“Odds are if you’ve got a fever, a cough, those bronchitis-type symptoms, unless you’ve been to China in the last two weeks it is highly unlikely you have coronavirus,” McGovern said. “If you’ve been to China in the last two weeks and you have those symptoms, please don’t show up in the emergency department, please don’t show up in the clinic.
“Please call ahead, let us arrange things, do a screen over the phone and then get you to the right place to get an evaluation,” McGovern continued.
He described protocols that go into action if screening questions suggest a possible risk, some of which involve medical staff wearing a shroud-like device with breathing filters. The devices are made to accommodate beards and face shapes not compatible with regular masks, and are sometimes used when there’s concern about other airborne diseases such as tuberculosis or measles.
“Just because you see our staff wearing these, does not mean we’re worried about coronoavirus,” he told reporters, who had questions about a sighting of the devices in use at a Springfield hospital Wednesday.
“We had one patient who screened positive on Wednesday for travel to China, upper respiratory (symptoms), fever. Because of that positive screen we went to this,” he said, referring to the protocol involving masks. McGovern described different protocols based on whether a patient calls ahead or shows up at a hospital.
“A patient that we have a heads-up about will come in through the side, won’t traverse through public areas and really slides right into a negative pressure room. If somebody does happen to present to triage or our front desk and screens positive, they immediately get masked and immediately move to a non-public area, are put in an isolation room and our protocol starts from there,” McGovern said.
A protocol eventually leads to a decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as to whether an exposed person can be tested. McGovern could not say whether the patient who screened positive on Wednesday had been tested, or what the results were, saying the CDC controls that part of the process.
As for influenza, a far greater threat with over 8,000 deaths this season compared with just 12 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the U.S. and none in Oregon as of Friday, McGovern emphasized good preventative measures such as getting vaccinated, covering your cough, handwashing and staying home with a fever.
“Influenza is still our primary concern,” he said.
