IS WICKLOW READY FOR AN OUTBREAK OF CORONAVIRUS?
HSE URGES PEOPLE TO FOLLOW GUIDELINES INCLUDING COUGHING OR SNEEZING INTO A TISSUE, REGULARLY WASHING HANDS, AND NOT TOUCHING THE FACE.
THERE is rising concern across County Wicklow about the threat of a coronavirus outbreak, following a confirmed case linked to a secondary school in Dublin.
A spokeswoman for the HSE said on Monday that they are not releasing information regarding preparations being made by specific hospitals.
She said that Covid-19 is currently in the containment phase and urged people to follow HSE guidelines to avoid contracting or spreading the virus.
No confirmed cases have been linked to Presentation College in Bray, which had a group of second-year students return on February 21 from a skiing trip in Italy.
‘Hospitals have drawn up plans,’ said Dr Neil Golden, making a presentation to members of Wicklow Rotary Club on Monday, February 24. ‘We are advised to wash our hands regularly, to use tissues to effectively contain coughs and sneezes, and to dispose of used tissues safely immediately,’ he said.
‘If the disease arrives, avoidance of crowded places and keeping your distance from others is important. Even with adherence to all advice, we, as with other countries, will find it challenging to deal with an epidemic.’
It is understood that while St Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin and St Michael’s Hospital in Dun Laoghaire are receiving centres for the virus, St Columcille’s Hospital in Loughlinstown and Tallaght Hospital are not.
Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital in Crumlin are both receiving hospitals for children.
Wexford General Hospital’s manager Lily Barnes said that ‘approved pathways and an isolation area are in place should cases present for swabbing’.
Wexford councillor Ger Carthy, a paramedic with the HSE, said three people presented at Wexford General Hospital for testing on Saturday and a further six on Sunday. All were negative for the virus.
The isolation room at Wexford General is located beside the Accident and Emergency department of the hospital which up to Monday did not have any ambulance vehicles dedicated to responding only to virus cases, travelling to the homes of people with suspected coronavirus, to carry out swabbing, as has been happening in Dublin.
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has published a document outlining guidelines for how receiving hospitals are to manage suspected cases.
An initial set of questions will include whether the person has been in an affected area or in contact with a case of Covid-19 in the past 14 days, or visited or worked in a centre where a case was being treated. They will also establish acute respiratory infection, or fever of unknown cause with no other symptoms.
The steps then include isolation of the patient with contact and droplet precautions, risk assessment, contacting the authorities, and collecting and sending samples to the National Virus Reference Laboratory,
Close contact is more than 15 minutes with less than two metres distance with a laboratory confirmed case.
A distance of one metre is generally regarded as sufficient to minimise direct exposure to droplets, but for public health purposes, a close contact definition of two metres has been specified.
The HSE advises a number of measures for protection from coronavirus, including regular hand-washing, covering the mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve when you cough and sneeze. Put used tissues into a bin and wash hands.
They advise that frequently touched objects and surfaces be cleaned and disinfected and people keep up to date with travel advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs.
People should not touch their eyes, nose or mouth if their hands or not clean.
The HSE has advised churches to suspend all physical interaction during religious services, including shaking hands while exchanging the ‘Sign of Peace’.
Those concerned about symptoms are asked to ring their GP, pharmacy or hospital for guidance rather than go there, to stay indoors, and avoid contact with others, including family members.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that circulate among animals including camels, cats and bats with some causing illnesses in people. Covid-19 is a new respiratory illness that hasn’t been seen before in humans.
The symptoms are a cough, shortness of breath, breathing difficulties and a high temperature but the virus can also cause more illnesses including pneumonia, severe respiratory problems or kidney failure.
It is spread through droplets from coughing and sneezing, coming into close contact with someone who has the virus and is coughing or sneezing and by touching surfaces that someone who has the virus has coughed or sneezed on.
The Department of Health advises that there is no need to be tested or to take any action in relation to coronavirus if you haven’t been to one of the affected areas or been in contact with a person who has coronavirus and haven’t attended a healthcare facility where patients with coronavirus were treated.
Health authorities do not know how easily the virus spreads from person to person or if someone can spread the virus before they show symptoms.
Coronavirus may survive for a few hours if someone who has it coughs or sneezes on a surface. Ordinary household disinfectants can kill the virus.
The Department of Health has advised that you cannot get coronavirus from packages or food that have come from China or other areas.