Coronavirus Cases Reach Pennsylvania, New Jersey

The world’s leading health official implored international leaders to unleash the full power of their governments to combat the new coronavirus outbreak. “This is not a drill,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the World Health Organization. “This is not a time for excuses. This is a time for pulling out all the stops.” However, the number of cases around the world has passed 100,000, and governments have displayed signs of paralysis, obfuscation and a desire to protect their own interests, even as death tolls passed 3,200, or roughly 3% of the infected population. In the United States, the number of cases has passed 250 and as public health labs anxiously awaited diagnostic kits, which will allow health officials to confirm the presence of the virus and estimate the severity of the potential crisis. As of Friday, New York State had 33 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with thousands under quarantine. President Trump has signed an $8.3 billion emergency spending bill on March 6, 2020 while also visiting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia in response to the health crisis. **New Jersey** In New Jersey, Camden County officials have confirmed the first case of the new coronavirus in South jersey. New Jersey officials stated that the positive case of COVID-19 is a county resident who is in his 60s and he is hospitalized in stable condition. “While we know that any case of coronavirus presents a cause for concern for our residents, we want to emphasize that this case only reemphasizes the need to follow personal hygiene guidelines vigilantly, this should not be a cause for panic and the risk to the general public remains low,” county health officer Paschal Nwako said. “Our department has been planning and preparing for several weeks for the possibility of a case of coronavirus in Camden County, and residents can rest assured that we are prepared to act swiftly and protect the health of our community.” **Pennsylvania** Pennsylvania has recently reported its first two positive tests for the new coronavirus. Two patients tested positive for coronavirus, one in Delaware County and the other in Wayne County, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said at a Friday morning news conference. These positive tests will be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation. “Right now, the emphasis of the plan is mitigation tactics to keep this virus from spreading widely,” Wolf said. State Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine emphasized that the cases were not community spread, which is when someone becomes ill in a certain area and has “no travel history, no known exposure and we have no idea how they got it.” However, she warned that the number of confirmed cases is expected to rise in the coming weeks and months. “We expect more cases to be confirmed in the upcoming days and weeks, and we want everyone to take action to help prevent the spread of this novel coronavirus, COVID-19,” she said. Following the announcement of the two coronavirus cases, Governor Wolf issued a disaster declaration for the commonwealth, which would give officials the ability to work across agencies as they work to fight the potential outbreak. The two Pennsylvania individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 are both adults and in good physical condition. One had traveled extensively in Europe where there were Level 3 travel advisories. Levine then confirmed that the only European nation with a Level 3 travel advisory is Italy. Delaware County Council member Monica Taylor said the person infected in the county is a woman who had traveled out of state. “This individual had recently traveled to an area in the United States where COVID-19 is present,” she said. Pennsylvania earlier this week began testing for coronavirus at its public health laboratory in Exton, Pennsylvania. The state currently has the ability to test 20-25 samples a day, but the facility is expected to escalate to 120-150 daily tests by the weekend. Commercial tests will also soon be available, which will help with detecting possible cases, adding that the state will work with insurance companies to cover the cost for tests. **Symptoms and How to Guard Against Coronavirus** Symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough, muscle pain or fatigue and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. The virus has an incubation period – the time between exposure and the first appearance of symptoms – of about five days. COVID-19 is spread mainly from person-to-person when droplets from an infected person who coughs or sneezes land on someone else’s nose or mouth or enter their lungs, according to the CDC. It can also be spread when someone touches their own mouth, nose and possibly eyes after coming into contact with a surface that has the virus on it. To prevent the spread of the virus, the CDC recommends frequently washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds – or using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol – wiping down dirty surfaces and using the inside of the elbow to cover a cough or sneeze.