Waltham Coronavirus Response Includes More Cleaning At Schools

WALTHAM, MA — Waltham Public Schools will respond to coronavirus concerns by increasing the frequency it sanitizes areas in school buildings, Interim Superintendent George Frost said in a letter to families Tuesday.

"The Facilities Department and building maintenance staff will continue to provide heightened sanitizing practices within our schools and buses," Frost wrote

Frost's note also stressed that Massachusetts residents remain at a far greater risk of contracting the flu. Massachusetts continues to see high levels of influences cases and severity, according to the weekly report released Friday by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; as of Tuesday morning, there had only been one confirmed case of coronavirus in Massachusetts since the strain, known as COVID-19, was first identified in Wuhan, China in December. Tuesday night state officials announced a possible second.

"We feel that it is important for parents to keep children home when they are ill. We should be focused when the following symptoms are evident: Temperature greater than 100, cough, respiratory distress," Frost wrote.

He stressed that many of the precautions that help prevent colds and the flu can help protect against COVID-19, and pointed to a list of CDC best practices, including hand washing and not sharing straws, or utensils with others.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that include the common cold as well as much more serious diseases. The strain that emerged in China in late 2019, now called COVID-19, is related to others that have caused serious outbreaks in recent years, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in the U.S. was on Jan. 21.

The disease, which apparently originated in animals, is now transferring from person to person, although the mechanism is not yet fully understood. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, and many patients develop pneumonia. There is as yet no vaccine against COVID-19 it and no antiviral treatment.

According to the CDC, the best way of preventing the disease is to avoid close contact with people who are sick, to avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands, to wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and to use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol if soap and water are not available.

To avoid spreading any respiratory illness, the CDC recommends staying at home when you are sick, covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue and throwing the tissue in the trash, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).