States increase preparations, try to calm public fears,
As worries about the new coronavirus grow in the U.S., state officials are ramping up efforts to prepare for a possible outbreak while simultaneously trying to assure the public that they are well-positioned to handle it.
Governors and legislators in several states have proposed pumping millions of dollars into programs to combat the virus that causes the COVID-19 illness. State health officials are checking on stockpiles of supplies such as face masks and respirators and arranging potential isolation sites for sick patients.
Some states received federal approval Thursday to conduct tests for the virus at their own labs, which could confirm or rule out potential cases more rapidly than waiting on results from federal labs.
Governors in several states, including the three most-populated — California, Texas and Florida — sought to ease concerns about the virus Thursday at news conferences.
“We have an extremely robust, well-informed, activated force prepared for any potential outcome that we may have to deal with,” Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. Texas is one of the states where coronavirus patients who traveled abroad are being treated in isolated facilities before returning to their homes.
State officials are walking a fine line between not stirring unnecessary anxieties while still keeping the public informed.
Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, for example, pledged to notify the public if anyone tested positive for the new virus in his state. But the state’s surgeon general declined to confirm if any suspected cases had been investigated. He and the governor cited state laws for withholding any statistical information.
That did not sit well with some other elected officials. Democratic U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who represents the Orlando area, called for more transparency.
Top health officials from many states met this week in Washington with members of President Donald Trump’s administration. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned public institutions, businesses and individuals to get ready for the disease, Mr. Trump has said there is no need to panic and that the U.S. is “very, very ready” to handle any outbreak.
The virus causes fever and coughing and, in serious cases, shortness of breath or pneumonia. Some symptoms are similar to influenza, which the CDC says has sickened tens of millions of U.S. residents and led to thousands of deaths since last fall.
Though the number of COVID-19 cases is low in the U.S., the spread of the virus from China through Asia and elsewhere has alarmed some state and local officials.
“Now is the time for a sense of urgency,” Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Thursday while encouraging state agencies and individuals to take greater sanitary precautions, such as disinfecting public places.
A new coronavirus case announced Wednesday in California could be the first in the U.S. that has no known connection to foreign travel or another known case, a possible sign the virus is spreading in a U.S. community, health officials said. Even before then, some cities and counties in California preemptively declared local health emergencies.
Federal health officials have already burned through $105 million in emergency funding while preparing for the coronarvius. Mr. Trump has requested an additional $2.5 billion to combat the virus, while congressional Democrats have proposed nearly four times that amount. But some state officials are not waiting for Congress to act.
New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, a Democrat, has said he will ask lawmakers to approve $40 million to respond to the threat, including hiring additional state health workers and buying supplies such as protective masks and gloves. In New York City alone, more than 1.5 million protective masks already have been given to health care workers and first responders, and the city is seeking more.
Several other states also are looking to set aside additional money because of the coronavirus, including Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Washington.
Delaware Public Health Director Karyl Rattay said it’s “incredibly important” that states receive additional federal funding to respond to the coronavirus.
“Already, we are seeing our capacity maxed out,” he said. “Staff are spending many, many hours on this, and there’s still core public health work that needs to be completed. We can’t just stop everything else that we do on a regular basis.”