Port Washington-Area Coronavirus Advisory Issued

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — Port Washington-area residents should be concerned but not scared about the new coronavirus amid the deaths of five people in the United States and New York's first confirmed case.

On Monday, officials said all five people who died lived in Washington state. The number of cases nationwide climbed to 96.

In New York, 32 people were tested for the virus as of March 1. One test was positive in New York City and another remains pending. The rest were negative.

In an alert Monday, Peter Forman, commissioner of the Port Washington-Manhasset emergency management office, told neighbors he and the other members of the office wanted to reach out to the community to share answers to questions it was receiving about the local perspective on the new coronavirus outbreak.

Forman acknowledged that information about the coronavirus remains "very fluid," and that many of their responses are opinions based on the known facts. Below are his responses.

Q: Should I be concerned and is it coming to our area?

You should be concerned but we don't believe you should be scared. There have been only 76 diagnosed cases in our country of 330 million residents. That is the equivalent of 1 in every 4.3 million Americans. While a lot is still being learned about this very new virus each day and while it will likely spread further in the country, there are some basic steps, outlined below, to reduce risk to yourself, your family, and to others.

Q: Are the local police, fire, ambulance services and hospitals ready?

We have met and/or spoken with Nassau County PD, Port Washington PD, Sands Point PD, Port Washington Fire, Manhasset-Lakeville Fire, and Plandome Fire, among others, and it is clear that they are increasingly ready for their role in any local outbreak.

• When contacting first responders or a hospital emergency department, increasingly you will be asked about travel and any specific Covid19-related symptoms.
• We have spoken with both St Francis and Northwell hospitals. Both are already doing extensive planning to handle increased patient loads with isolation requirements.
• Rest assured that first responders, the medical community, and the emergency management communities are acutely focused on these issues and are deep in preparatory mode.

What is the difference between coronavirus, Covid-19, and SARS-CoV-2?

The virus itself has been named “SARS-CoV-2” but the disease it causes has been named Covid-19, which comes from “CoronaVirus Disease 2019”.

Coronavirus is the family of viruses to which it and SARS and MERS (from past years) belong.

When will it peak?

The opinions we have heard are that it will peak over the next 2-3 months and decline into the summer months.

Who is most affected by coronavirus?

People who are immunocompromised or who have other major health issues are at greater risk. Also, the older you are the greater the risk.

How does age impact vulnerability?

According to available data from a very recent study of 44,000 cases in China:

• Less than 1 percent were children aged 9 and no deaths were reported.

• Only 1.2% were children 10-19 years old and only 1 death was reported.

• By contrast, 20 percent of the people who were 80 years and older died.
• The median age of patients was between 49 and 56 years.
• Important footnote: Although not yet clear, it seems that the younger populations are often contracting the disease, but the symptoms are milder making diagnosis less likely. Also, it isn't known if these younger populations are silent carriers who might actually be spreading it.

What can I do to prevent getting this virus?

There are a number of basic things you can do to reduce risk to yourself and others:

• Wash your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds to be effective.
• If soap and water isn’t available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.
• Try not to touch your eyes, mouth, and nose before sanitizing.
• If you are sick, especially with fever, cough, and shortness of breath, isolate yourself and contact your doctor and take care not to infect others with your cough or cold.
• If you are diagnosed, tell others who may have been exposed.
• Note, it is believed this virus has as long as a 2 to 14-day incubation period without symptoms.
• There is no vaccine at this time.

Will masks help?

According to the many doctors we have spoken to, masks are not recommended for the otherwise healthy general public for a few reasons:

• Many masks add little value and need to be fitted to work.
• Viruses are so small they pass through most masks and no mask is 100% effective.
• There is a shortage of masks for health care professionals who have to be masked and for people who are actually sick to reduce the risk of their spreading it.

Will there be “disruptions” to work and schools?

While this has happened already in other countries, it isn't clear if or when this could happen here. Nevertheless, some planning is in order. You might wish to consider some of the following:

• Who will care for the others that are dependent on you if you were to get sick?
• Or conversely, who will care for you if the person upon whom you are dependent becomes ill?
• If schools are temporarily closed, who will take care of school-aged children at home?
• How will your business operate? Do you have systems in place to accommodate some level of work-from-home computing?
• Begin to think these issues through.

How can I get updates from PWMOEM?

We will reach out as needed with additional information. Please pass this briefing on to others and encourage them to sign up, no charge, at NorthShoreAlert.org for additional info. If we don’t have your email and text number you will NOT receive these and other key communiques. If you still have trouble signing up or wish to add others, you can email to alerts@pwmoem.org