昆士市出現一宗COVID-19病例 市長籲民眾先別緊張

               (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導)麻州亞裔人口最多的昆士市，今(9)日下午2點半發出通告，市長柯奇(Thomas P. Koch)及公共衛生局局長Ruth Jones確認，該市一名女子是和百奧健(Biogen)會議有關的新型冠狀病毒(COVID-19)假定陽性病例。

               這名女子約40餘歲，刻正居家隔離，由昆士市公共衛生局觀察中。

               這名女子生病後，極少出門，和昆市公校也沒有任何關係。

               柯奇強調，一般民眾可能面對的危險仍然很低，但昆市府在處理此事時，依然十分嚴肅，並正在確保市民得到盡可能多的資訊。整個市府團隊和公共衛生局都將和聯邦及州政府密切合作，採取合理行動來預防及遏制疫情。

               柯奇表示，沒有理由要過度反應，或加大可能有的恐懼，人們要有心理準備，未來幾週的日常生活可能受到一些影響。不過，沒有什麼是過不去的。

               昆士市公共衛生局局長Ruth Jones表示，這個病毒和流感很像，對耆英和身體健康原本就有狀況的人來說，可能很危險。不過，迄今，大部分個案的症狀都相當輕微。她補充道，我們的社區應該很有信心，來自公私領域各行業的一群努力又有才華專業人士，已加入處理這一情況的團隊。昆市府不敲警鐘，只保護市民的身心健康。

QUINCY – One of the presumptive positive cases of the COVID-19 virus associated with the Biogen employee conference last month in Boston is a Quincy woman, Mayor Thomas P. Koch and Commissioner of Public Health Ruth Jones confirmed today.  The woman, in her 40s, is isolated and recovering well at home and is being monitored by the Quincy Department of Public Health.  The patient appears to have had little community exposure since falling ill, and has no connection with Quincy Public Schools, officials said.   “This is nothing unexpected or unanticipated, and the threat to the general public remains quite low. That does not mean we do not take it seriously, and we are confirming this local case to provide as much information to our residents as possible. Commissioner Jones and our entire team is fully engaged with our partners and state and federal authorities in a methodical, rational response to both prevention and containment,” said Mayor Koch.  “The public discourse can sometimes be heavily weighted to the two extremes, and that’s what we are going to avoid. There is no reason to overreact and amplify fears people may have, but at the same time, our residents and families should be prepared for some level of disruption to their daily lives in the coming weeks. It’s nothing we can’t get through,” Koch said.   Commissioner Jones noted that the virus, much like the flu, is potentially dangerous for vulnerable populations like seniors and those with underlying health conditions.  In most cases, however, symptoms have been relatively minor to date, she said.  She added: “Our community should have great confidence that a group of dedicated, talented professionals from a wide range of disciplines in both the public and private sectors are actively involved in our response to this situation.  We do not ring alarm bells, we protect the health and well-being of our residents. That mission doesn’t change,’ 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) on Sunday announced 15 new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, including the Quincy resident, bringing the total number of confirmed or presumptive positive cases in Massachusetts to 28.  All 15 cases had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference in late February. The presumptive positive cases include five from Suffolk County ranging in age from 30s to 60s; five from Middlesex County ranging in age from 40s to 60s; four cases from Norfolk County ranging in age from 40s to 60s; and a female whose age and county of residence are unknown at the time of this release. Among these presumptive positive cases were eight men and seven women.  With this release, 23 of the presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 identified in Massachusetts are associated with the Biogen employee meeting held in late February. All of these presumptive positive cases are isolating at home. On March 7, 2020, DPH announced five new presumptive positive cases, three of which had a direct connection to Biogen’s employee conference, one with recent international travel, and a fifth case for whom there is no current known linkage to the Biogen conference or foreign travel. The State Public Health Lab’s result is considered “presumptive positive” and the specimens will now be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmation.  Since the onset of the coronavirus, local health departments have been monitoring residents that returned from China and Iran, with a 14-day self-isolation period. None of those being monitored in Quincy have had any symptoms of the virus. This practice will continue per the guidance of state and federal authorities.  Additionally, those returning from several other countries that are now at Level 3 travel restrictions (the same as China and Iran) will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days, monitoring their temperature and symptoms twice daily, and are advised to call their local health department if deviations occur, such as temperature greater than 100.4, chills, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, headache/muscle aches, diarrhea or vomiting. These countries are Italy and South Korea. The DPH has also urged all schools and colleges to cancel any trips abroad for the present time period, and advises everyone to avoid non-essential travel to any Level 3 restricted countries. Many of the things you do to help prevent colds and the flu can help protect you against other respiratory viruses such as Coronavirus: • Wash your hands often with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. • Cover your coughs and sneezes. • Stay home if you are sick. If you are ill call your healthcare provider for instructions before going to a clinic, office or emergency room. There are currently no vaccines available to protect against this novel coronavirus infection. It is not recommended that people wear masks when they are in public. Masks can be useful in some settings, such as a clinic waiting room, to prevent someone who has a respiratory illness from
spreading it to others. There is no hard evidence that wearing a mask protects the wearer outside of the healthcare setting.