Coronavirus is coming, but pay heed to the flu

‘Currently, health officials do not recommend everyone in central Virginia start wearing masks’

Coronavirus may be making headlines, but Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District Director Dr. Wade Kartchner in Warrenton and the University of Virginia Health System both say we should be paying more attention to the seasonal flu that kills thousands — with children especially vulnerable this year.

“Obviously there have been no cases [of coronavirus] in Virginia and [thus] no cases in Rappahannock County, which is not to say there won’t be,” Dr. Kartchner told the Rappahannock News on Wednesday. “I think the CDC [Centers for Disease Control] made it clear it will be coming to the states… and people do need to be prepared for that, but still in the foresee

able future the flu will be a bigger reality for people than the coronavirus.

“We’ve had… one-thousand flu deaths in Virginia so far this year,” he pointed out.

“Each year, millions of people get the flu, tens of thousands are hospitalized and thousands die from it,” agreed UVA Health System’s Elizabeth Timms.

What’s especially unusual about the flu this year, Timms pointed out, “is that influenza B is the dominant strain for the first time in almost 30 years. Usually about 75 percent of flu illnesses are caused by influenza A.”

And for children under age 16, compared to adults, influenza B may lead to greater complications.

As for the dreaded coronavirus, the CDC announced Tuesday that it’s not a question of if but when the potentially deadly virus spreads across America. And yes, even in Rappahannock County residents should consider making preparations in advance of its potential arrival, including stocking up on certain supplies like medicines, because lives will be “disrupted.”

“In the coronavirus area once we do get transmission… the best thing the public needs to understand is that it’s similar to the transmission of the flu — a respiratory spread,” said Dr. Kartchner. “So the same thing you do to mitigate against flu you should do to mitigate against coronavirus — staying home if you’re sick, covering your cough, washing your hands.”

And yes, said the Warrenton pediatrician, “school closures might be in the offing.”

Rappahannock County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Shannon Grimsley said Wednesday that her office receives regular updates from Richmond “regarding any public health issues and update plans accordingly.

“RCPS, in collaboration with the County Emergency Services Department, also meets monthly to review all… Crisis Management Plans, to be sure we are prepared for any potential situation.”

As with the CDC, the Virginia Department of Health is closely monitoring the respiratory illness and while seven potential coronavirus cases have been pinpointed as of this week — three in northern Virginia, three in central Virginia, and one in southwest Virginia — all were found to be negative.

In addition, 179 travelers who had earlier flown through or had layovers in mainland China — including locally based airline employees and private individuals — have been or still are being monitored by Virginia health officials. Eleven were originally deemed low risk, 92 medium risk, and the rest unclassified, albeit 76 have been given the all clear.

For now, UVA says there’s “no need to panic.”

Dr. William Petri, an infectious disease expert at UVA’s School of Medicine, said it’s understandable to be nervous about the coronavirus, and he offered this guidance to clarify the myths and facts: Myth: The coronavirus is new.

Fact: Yes and no. Technically, this strain or version of the coronavirus — called 2019-nCoV or the Wuhan coronavirus — is new to humans, although previously it lived in animals. Remember outbreaks of MERS and SARS? Those were also coronaviruses. They, too, had once lived only in animals, then jumped to humans. (MERS and SARS likely started in bats). Myth: You have to wear a face mask to stay safe.

Fact: Currently, health officials do not recommend everyone in central Virginia start wearing masks. Washing your hands is always a good idea however.

Myth: I’ll need to take extra precautions to avoid catching the coronavirus.

Fact: Right now, follow the same good hygiene habits you use to avoid catching the common cold: Wash your hands, especially after coughing, sneezing, cooking, eating, touching animals and providing healthcare. Use hand sanitizer. Stay home when you’re sick. Clean handrails, doorknobs and toys. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid close contact (such as kissing, sharing cups, or sharing eating utensils) with people who are sick. Myth: If I had a flu shot, I’m vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Fact: We don’t have a vaccine to protect against this strain of the coronavirus. Even if you had a flu shot, you could get this infection. However, research is ongoing to develop a vaccine that could be tested as soon as later this year.

That said, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director Dr. Anthony Fauci said this week that any clinical trial of a vaccine (his staff is currently working with a lab in Massachusetts to develop one) would take at least three months to see if it’s safe. That would be followed by a much larger trial to see if the vaccine is effective. Those results wouldn’t be known for another 12 to 18 months.