WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) -- Amid nationwide concerns, the Marathon County Board of Health addressed their preparations for a possible spread of the coronavirus to north central Wisconsin at a board meeting Tuesday morning, including plans for surveillance and quarantines.
Marathon County Health Department entrance, March 3, 2020 (WSAW Photo)
Currently, COVID-19 has killed six in Washington state and has infected about 100 nationwide, but CDC health officials anticipate the disease to soon become widespread across the country.
Marathon County health officer Joan Theurer said the county had put together a work plan to guide the county over the next two to four months. Additionally, as of Monday, they had implemented the incident command system structure, a centralized communication system modeled after how fire, police and military operate daily.
In cases of emergencies or major natural events, "Organizations that typically don't operate within an ICS structure move into that structure to manage this event, and the reason for that is it's clearer who's responsible for what, and it's a more efficient way of getting work done," Theurer told NewsChannel 7.
Practical steps the county is taking include surveillance and monitoring the disease, close partnership with the state Department of Health Services, reviewing and updating public health plans, and preparing for quarantine and isolation protocols including outreach to local law enforcement. Local health departments across the country are participating in similar surveillance of their areas, Theurer told NewsChannel 7.
“We at times may need support from law enforcement, ensuring that somebody stays isolated,” Theurer noted at the meeting. Theurer also said they are planning an upcoming meeting with all response organizations later this month to clarify responsibilities and address any gaps in planning, a meeting that will also help plan for other public health emergencies.
Testing is now possible in Wisconsin, the DHS announced yesterday. "It's only a matter of time" before testing results in cases here, Family Health director Eileen Eckardt noted.
Other preparations the county is discussing include “social distancing” measures, which includes things like restricting large gatherings or closing schools. Currently, similar strategies are being utilized in some European countries including Italy.
As of Tuesday morning, six people had died from coronavirus in Washington state, most or all of whom were elderly or had underlying health conditions, according to multiple local media reports. Nationwide, there are just over 100 diagnosed cases in 15 states, although health officials say that number will climb as testing increases. Globally, the death toll is at 3,100 killed and about 90,000 infected. The only known diagnosed coronavirus case in Wisconsin has now been released from the hospital and is healthy according to DHS officials, although two tests were still pending Monday evening.
According to information by the CDC on the Marathon County website, the current risk assessment for the general American public is still considered low, but those in healthcare, have close contact or live in communities where COVID-19 has been detected, or who have returned from traveling to affected countries are at higher risk. However, it’s likely “that at some point, widespread transmission of COVID-19 in the United States will occur,” the website notes.
CDC recommendations for prevention include standard flu preventions such as thorough and frequent hand-washing. Investigations into death rate are currently ongoing, but the risk to people over 65 or those with underlying medical conditions is higher than the general population. Currently, death rate estimates place it between 1 and 2% of those infected, in comparison with a SARS death rate of about 10% and standard flu death rates below 1%.
“As a county—and when I say county, it’s broader than Marathon County government, it’s the county and our partners—have been preparing for public health emergency events. And we will continue to prepare to support what is needed," Theurer said Tuesday.
For more information, the Marathon County Health Department provides a complete CDC guide to the coronavirus on its website.
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Marathon County assembles plan to address potential coronavirus spread - WSAW
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